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Chef John's Tropical Hummingbird Cake

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PREP TIME
30 min
COOKING TIME
40 min
TOTAL TIME
200 min
SERVINGS
12 servings
Dessert Jamaican
Chef John's Tropical Hummingbird Cake
Ingredients
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup crushed pineapple
  • 3 medium ripe bananas, sliced
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (16 ounce) package powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar, or as needed
  • 1/4 cup edible flowers, assorted
Instructions
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is equivalent to 175 degrees Celsius. Next, take two 9-inch round cake pans and grease them with butter, then sprinkle a thin layer of flour over the surface. Set these prepared pans aside for now.
2
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Use your hands or a whisk to quickly mix these dry ingredients together until they are well combined. Add oil and eggs, then use a spatula to mix the ingredients just until they come together in a cohesive batter.
3
Add vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and toasted pecans to the mixing bowl. Mix everything together until it is thoroughly combined and there are no lumps or separate ingredients.
4
Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared pans. After you've done this, gently shake each pan back and forth to settle the batter and bring any air bubbles to the top.
5
Place the pans in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake until a wooden skewer inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean, which should take around 35 minutes.
6
Once the cakes are done baking, let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. Allow these cakes to cool completely, which should take at least 1 hour.
7
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, butter, and vanilla. Use the whisk attachment on high speed to mix everything together until it is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary with a spatula.
8
Next, mix in powdered sugar on a lower speed until it is mostly incorporated into the cream cheese mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high and whip everything together until it is light and fluffy.
9
Place one of the cooled cakes on a serving platter. Spread half of the frosting over the top of the cake, leaving about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch of space around the edges unfrosted. Place the second cake layer on top and gently press it down onto the first layer.
10
Pile the remaining frosting over the top of the cake and spread it outwards, making sure to cover the entire surface.
11
Place the finished cake in the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour.
12
While the cake is chilling, prepare a hummingbird template on a piece of paper and place it on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat.
13
Heat sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat until it dissolves, becomes hot and amber-colored. Drip the sugar mixture onto the silicone mat in a pattern that matches your hummingbird template.
14
Let the sugar mixture sit until it hardens, then place the cooled hummingbird on top of the cake. Decorate the top with edible flowers.