Hummingbird Cake Recipe (2024)

I made this for my husband's birthday and he loved it. HOWEVER, you need to realize there is a typo - DO NOT USE 5 1/2 cups of OIL! If you take the time to watch the video, you will learn that you only use 1 1/2 c. OIL.

The video shows 1 1/2 cups of oil for the batter. The written recipe shows 5 1/2 cups of oil which is in error.

My husband made this cake for me. He felt it was too much oil but continued following the directions. Huge disappointment and waste of time and ingredients. PLEASE FIX OIL AMOUNT on this recipe or take down.

Recipe is way off on the oil needed. Print version calls for 5.5 cups of oil. I, like several others followed the recipe exactly even though my gut was telling me something was wrong. Tried to save it by draining off as much oil as possible, but still trash. Someone needs to fix the recipe. I bet Mrs. Wiggins is appalled.

I thought something was off with the oil measurement but I thought it added to the moistness. Boy was I mistaken! Want a major waste of quality expensive ingredients! Thanks Southern Living!
Donna B. Florida

Wow. Don’t waste your time with this awful recipe. It’s has an obvious misprint that hasn’t been corrected. For the person who was baking a cake for the first time, I recommend starting with any recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum. Her recipes are classics, and they’ve been tested over and over again. They work! And they’re delicious!!

5 1/4 cups of oil? I had oil running all over my counter. It was my first cake and sounded like a lot of oil, but how was i supposed to know.

Wish i looked at the reviews on this cake before i used 5 1/2 cups of oil! What a waste! Thanks a lot Southern Living!

HUGE MISPRINT!! ITS 1 1/2 CUPS OF OIL NOT 5 1/2!! PLEASE FIX THE ASAP!

2nd time making this cake using this recipe. 1st time I added lemon extract and coconut...super yum...this time I added almond abstract and carrot... always mashed the banana, decreased the oil and increased the banana and pineapple. Both times were delicious and nearly all of it gone before the day was out.

How long did you bake in Bundt pan... thanks

I added coconut oil, 1 cup of shreddedcoconut and xtrabaking soda xtrabananas. Baked in bundt pans and added toasted coconuton top of icing.

The Original Cake was called Dr. Bird Cake and was printed in The St. Louis Post Dispatch, January 16, 1972. The name was borrowed from the hummingbird symbol of Air Jamaica Airlines and the recipe was by Mrs. Valerie Cracchiolo of Affton. It predates this cake by 6 years. It was then modified to add nuts, divided into 3 cake pans and then slapped a cream cheese frosting on it and dubbed "hummingbird cake". I still have the original newspaper article with the date. While this is still a decent cake and the frosting may make it more guest worthy, our family still prefers the original best and it'd be nice if Southern Living would at least give credit to the real originator of the cake. Also the original was baked in a tube pan at 350°F for 80 minutes and makes a great anytime cake.

I have been making this cake for years since I received my first Southern Living Cookbook as an engagement present. It is definitely a family favorite in our home. I have seen some people make the sheet cake, but has anyone made it as hummingbird bread loaf? I would love to make 2 loaves instead of regular banana nut bread, but I am not sure about the temperature or time it takes to bake?

I had enough with non left over. All that sugar makes this recipe taste outstanding. I am making it for my b-day as it is my fav.

I use that exact icing recipe proportions for all of my cakes. I do, however, like lots of icing.

I know this was asked in May but the shortening is just used to grease the cake pans.

Shortening is used to grease pans.

The shortening is only to grease the pans

Enough to grease the cake pans.

I did, and the only modification I made was longer baking time.

I've always had it as a sheet cake and it's perfect!

http://dish.allrecipes.com/cup-to-gram-conversions/

I make this as a sheet cake but don't frost it. I use a roaster or 2 13x9 pans. If using the roaster I lower the oven temp to 325 and cook a bit longer. My roaster is thin so I put it on an oversize cookie sheet so the bottom doesn't get over done. My family, friends, and coworkers love it! My husband always has to have some on hand.

I think the shortening is only for greasing the pans:)

The shortening is only to grease the pan. You could use coconut oil, margarine, butter, etc. Hope this helps 👍🏼

The receipe above calls for 2 8oz packs of cream cheese and 2 16oz packs of sugar. Does it take this much to ice this cake or is this a mistake. Going to make for the first time but don't want to end up with a ton of extra icing.. Hope someone can help me out.

It says shortening as one of the ingredients, but how much to use??? Please help!

Has anyone tried this recipe as a sheet Cake? And if so, do you need to make any modifications?

This recipe has been in my family for generations, only we use black walnuts instead of pecans. My sister and my niece both won cake baking contests with it in Girl Scouts when they were younger. In fact, when my other sister was sick (she passed soon after), this is the cake she requested as her last birthday cake...it's that good!

It turned out amazing. I took it to work and was told it was the best cake they had ever had, it's super moist and icing was delicious. I doubled up on the cream cheese and added a bit more powdered sugar. Baked the cake itself on 325 because my oven tends to run hot. I will definitely be making this again.

The 35th anniversary version shows 4 layers. The original recipe shows three layers.

Instead of the bananas, you should try adding some unsweetened apple sauce. Makes it nice and moist and you can't really taste the apple sauce at all.

I only cut the sugar amount on the frosting (1 cup instead of 2 cups), just because. It is so tasty and moist. It is a winner in my books!!!

Can this recipe be converted into English Kg

Perhaps it is a generational thing. I made this for my mother-in-law, who raved over it. My father, the same age, proclaimed it delicious. And I...don't believe I'll ever make it again. The flavor was just weird. I liked the texture; I've had a pineapple cake with a similar texture, but the banana with the pineapple just did not jive for me. I'll stick to plain banana cake or pineapple snack cake.

Beautiful! ;-)

It was likely the size of pan vs the oven temp. Sometimes, you need to lower the temp and bake longer. If you ever need to do that and you're concerned with the cake burning on top, cover with aluminum foil. Also, watch where you put it into the oven. It should be in the middle, but, if the top is cooking too fast, put it on the lower rack and keep baking. But, your oven temp could just be off too.

This was my first cake. Fun thing to do for the afternoon. I read the directions AND followed the video while going step by step. Turned out great!

This cake looks very yummy but how much shortening do you use??

Great cake! No changes to the recipe....this is fail proof

I used to work for a restaurant and this cake was always on the dessert cart in the winter months as it is a heavy one. VERY good and it always sold out.

"taller" and "lighter", not more tall and light. Sheesh!

My family loved it.Added some lemon juice to the cream cheese frosting.I also used less oil and and some pineapple juice when the batter became to stiff.Was perfect and moist.

This cake will not disappoint!! Everyone always asks for the recipe. So good! So moist!! A sure crowd pleaser!!!

ck ur oven temperature....my gf and i used to make scratch cakes over and over again and then all of a sudden they quit being cooked in the middle....we checked and our oven temp was off by 25 degrees...that's a lot hope this helps

I just made this cake for a co-workers birthday as she said it was her favorite. It was a huge success!As did a previous reviewer, I added unsweetened coconut to the cake. The coconut was chopped very finely so you couldn't see that it was in there. You could detect a faint coconut taste, however. I also used bananas that were not very ripe so I sliced them very thinly. I did not have a problem with parts of the cake being "goopy". This cake is a keeper. Will definitely make again!

I would recommend to mash the bananas instead of chopped, it made parts of the cake goopy

I made these as cupcakes for my office. Never having had one, I have been told they are spot on perfect! Personally, anything that tastes like frosted banana bread with a kick of pineapple, will always have my vote.

i love making cakes from scratch, so Southern Living is my go to. I have not made this particular cake...but I'm dying too, My question is will the cake taste the same with no bananas!! I know that's crazy, but I'm not a big fan of bananas, (my family is)! or will I even know that the bananas exist?

Absolutely Amazing!!! I made this cake this past weekend and my whole family loved it! everyone wanted the recipe....I guess I will be making it again!

I made a couple of minor changes and got rave reviews for this cake. I added 3/4 cup of coconut, cut the oil to 2/3 cup, increased the pineapple to 1 1/4 cup and the bananas to 2 1/2 cups. It is insanely moist and tasty.

You smokin crack granny. Looks like it says 3 pans to me???

The most gorgeous cake, everyone I make it for says its delightful. I changed the flour and baking soda for SR flour and it ends up a bit mor tall and light, yet just as moist. Delicious

I give the cake a 4. I thought it was good, but my family didn't like the pineapple in it. The frosting I give a 5. It will be my go to cream cheese frosting.

In picture you have 3 layers. Recipe calls for 4 cake pans....Explaine this to me please..

Made this cake for my husband's birthday one year, it's absolutely delicious and super moist. It's very rich and it goes a long way, great for dinner parties:)

Delicious! It was the favorite at my work party!

This was an easy cake to make and very delicious. The only problem I had was even tho I followed the recipe to the letter, my 3 cakes were only about an inch in thickness. I thought they would be thicker than that. Did I do something wrong? I don't think I did. Anyone have any suggestions as to why this occurred? Next time I think I will double the ingredients to create a much thicker cake...

I follow the recipe exactly as it was and it turned out amazing. I cooked it for 25 mins but you should always check after 15-20 to see if it is cooked. I used a toothpick to check if it was done in the middle. In regards to the frosting, I used : 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup butter softened 2 Cups powdered sugar 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract Simply amazing, I wish I could upload a pic. :)

Yummy!!!! Enough said.

This has become a family tradition at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I make it the day before I think it gets better with age! It is easy but looks like you spent hours on making it. The best cake ever! Jeanette

I give the cake portion a 5, the ceam cheese frosting, for this recipe, I give a 2. There was not enough frosting to cover the three layers and the sides. I suggest you double the recipe. The other issue I had was the frosting was too thin and did not look like the picture. It did not have that whipped looked. I imagined it woulds be perfect for a sheet cake version of The Hummingbird Cake.

Made for Father's day gathering. It was a big hit. I did what a couple suggested and toasted my pecans and course cut the bananas. My bananas were not over ripe, but this was ok in the cake. I thought I had done something wrong when I added the eggs and oil and the batter was stiff, but after you add the pineapple it makes it a thick cake batter. I also did just two layers and it was just fine. I am sure the three layers is great too, if you like a lot of icing. Easy and quick. I still prefer the Carrot Cake and Cream Cheese Pound Cake. To Snaily303. I turned my oven down to 325, I cook in dark pans. Since I did two as opposed to 3 layers it took longer in the oven. You may want to get you oven checked to make sure the temperature is correct. If you used convection may be another reason. I find it does not work so well on cakes, for me at any rate.

I made this cake by following the recipe exactly and it came out still wet in the middle, even after keeping it in the oven for a while longer. Once i turned it out it was completely uncooked underneath and completely soggy. Is there something I did wrong? Because I followed it EXACTLY as it is written.

Ms. Frances Reynolds Lokey of Mayfield, Georgia was a distant relative and close family friend. And she was a very dear, very Southern, lady. She made this cake for special occasions. When asked about the origin of the name, she pointed to the sliced pecans. She sliced the pecans cross-wise (rather than lengthwise) for the batter as well as the frosting. If you hold a slice up by one end ("the tail," she called it) you can imagine a hummingbird hovering in flight. It's a fair amount of extra work, but it sure makes for a pretty cake!

Baked this cake as a trial run for a cake I am baking for a fundraiser for our Church Youth Group Trip this summer (first ever from scratch cake) and it turned out perfect even though I forgot to get bananas. I will be baking this cake for sure and will add bananas next time. Sorta tastes like a spice cake with the yummy cinnamon inside. Not overly sweet either, which is a plus. I did think the 1 cup of vegetable oil was a bit much but it still tasted awesome. Thanks for a great recipe!

Best cake ever tasted super moist and easy. Everytime i make it I am asked for recipe. Make sure to make own cream cheese frosting way better than bought frosting and super easy.

Love! Love! Love! A truly wonderful cake!

Wow! The end.

This cake was made by my mom for my dad's birthday every year before she passed I am so blessed to find it here..Thanks a million!!!

We love this! My Grandma used to make this cake for me and now i'm still making it today!! Always a hit!

I have the The Southern Living Cookbook 4th print from 1989 and just made this cake today. To add a special touch to it I decided to fill it with the pineapple filling recipe also from the cookbook! It is delectable (I know from sampling the trimmings from shaping the cake) and I can not wait for my mom to dig into her birthday cake tomorrow! The only thing I noticed was necessary (because of the filling) was to use the buttercream frosting recipe modified by using 1 cup butter and 1/2 cup cream cheese rather than 1 1/2 cups butter. The frosting is a bit sweeter than traditional cream cheese frosting but just the right consistency and oh so good!!!

This cake, by far, received the most rave reviews for Easter dinner. I followed the recipe exactly.

I made this over the weekend and it is to die for. We love it. Toasting the pecans is key to this recipe. The only change I made was... I made a 2 layer cake instead of three. I hadn't made this in a long time and couldn't find my original recipe, this is a keeper!!!

I entered this cake in an auction event that was raising money for a women's shelter. The cake sold for $80! The auctioneer asked if I had any more cakes! It's also my senator's favorite cake, so it goes to most of the functions I attend. Definitely the most requested cake I make!

A delicious cake that holds up great. I once made it as a wedding/anniversary cake in graduating layers with cream cheese icing/frosting. Had to mix up three batches of batter to fill pans with a bonus pan of minature cupcakes for the kiddies. I used pecan meal in the batter to give the cake a nutty flavor.BEST CAKE I EVER MADE!

This is my all-time favorite cake! And layer cakes are my favorite food. I love to make this for Easter, Mother's Day, or a birthday. If you like carrot cake you'll love this. In my opinion it's a perfect recipe, except that I toast my pecans before putting them in the batter and use extra pecans (about 1 3/4 cup) in the frosting, chopping some of them extra-fine so there's toasty flavor in each bite . The pecan cream cheese frosting really is to die for. I could eat this at every special occasion!

Really good, moist cake. Made for a dinner party and got rave reviews!

Awesome cake. I made this for Christmas this year. Amazing! My family enjoyed it and are awaiting the next cake. Tip: Coursely chopping the bananas gives great texture as opposed to mashing them.

I have made this cake for years. The first time I made it, I wasn't sure it was going to be a hit or not since I thought it was a weird combination of banana & pineapple. I tell you....EVERY TIME I MAKE IT IT IS GONE IN 10 MINUTES FLAT OR LESS. I LOVE THIS CAKE!!!

I tasted this at a banquet at a fancy golf club and then saw the recipe in a magazine. I made it and it is AWESOME!!! and I will be making it again for special occasions cause it is sooo rich!!!

I made this cake for the first time Saturday and entered it in a 'Bake-off' at our church festival. I took 2nd place!! I was thrilled, and the judges said it was excellent. I did sub part of the oil with applesauce (1/4cup),just because a cup of oil sounded like alot. Will make again for the holidays!

Love Love Love this cake it will be a staple in my house even my husband loved it and he is not a big cake eater.

I've seen this recipe in my S.L. cookbook but never made it until now after seeing it featured here as S.L. most requested recipe. It was a moist and pretty good "Bananna cake". I was a bit dissapointed in that but overall if you like banannas, then it's a good solid cake.

Great Recipe. You could add apples or raisins and it would still taste great.

I have been making this cake for years. It is very easy to make. This cake is a crowd pleaser at family parties. Everyone fights over who gets to take the left over home for late night snacks.

We were astounded at the wonderful flavor of this cake. We frequented a restaurant that had this by the slice. They were kind enough to give us the recipe. It is not too difficult, and everyone loves it. Pay attention to the "folding: in the recipe.

Excellent!!

This is the best cake I have ever made. When I was a kid a neighbor used to make us hummingbird cakes all the time. Her cake was good, but this recipe is even better! I plan to try the lightened recipe next because I calculated this recipe to be nearly 800 calories for 1/12th of the cake.