Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Hummingbird Cake

This is similar to carrot cake only with pineapple & pecans.



For the cake batter:
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees and prepare to round cake pans.  I like to butter and flour them, but a little non-stick spray will work too.

3 cups Cake Flour
2 cups Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon each of: baking soda, ground cinnamon (I like Saigon), & salt

1 cup Veggie Oil
3 Large Eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla paste or 1 tablespoon of extract
6 ounces of crushed pineapple in it's juice
About 1 cup of chopped pecans depending on your taste
2 ripe bananas

In the bowl of a food processor pulse all the dry ingredients and the pecans to mix thoroughly.  In a large bowl mash the bananas and then add the wet ingredients. Beat with a fork to break up the eggs. Transfer the dry stuff to another large bowl and slowly mix in the wet stuff.  Don't over mix.  The batter will be a bit lumpy.  Transfer to the prepared cake pans and bake for about 30 minutes.

Cook the cakes on a wire rack.  When completely cooled cover with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:  2 sticks salted butter, about 3-4 cups of powdered sugar, two 8 ounce bricks of cream cheese and one teaspoon of vanilla paste or scrape down one vanilla pod.  I like the way the vanilla flecks look in the frosting.



Let the butter and cheese come to room temperature and then beat to light and fluffy with an electric mixer.  Add in the vanilla then slowly sift in the sugar until it's as sweet as you like it.

Don't be shy with the frosting.