I finally got around to baking a Hummingbird Cake! Yay me! Now, some of you are probably saying, what in the world is a Hummingbird Cake? Well, I would have said the same thing a few years ago but, since then, I have had a piece in almost every restaurant that advertises it in the Florida Keys. I kept telling myself I was going to make one day, and it would be even better than any I had tasted, and that day finally came. And I couldn’t be happier with the results (although my waistline might complain a little because it’s so hard to resist!).
The cake turned out rich, spicy, a little nutty and full of the fruity goodness of bananas and pineapple. It’s a tropical treat not to be missed!
Believe it or not, this recipe has no birds in it (bet you could have guessed that) but is unusual in the fact that it contains more fruit than flour and uses oil instead of butter. It is believed to have originated in Jamaica in the late 60’s, which probably explains all the banana and pineapple in the cake, and was first called the Doctor bird cake, named after the streamer-tail or doctor humming-bird, their national bird. It has gathered some other quirky names through the years too! Names such as bird of paradise cake, nothing left cake, bumblebee cake, never ending cake and, the one I like, doesn’t last long cake. The cake is said to be sweet enough to attract a hummingbird, I can’t vouch for that one, but I do know that it is sweet enough to attract family and friends in its vicinity.
The Hummingbird Cake originally traveled to the American south through the Jamaican Tourism Board who sent out recipes to attract tourists to their shores. This one hit a cord with the deep south and started its road to fame at county fairs, baking competitions, in community cookbooks and finally it’s most noted appearance in 1978, making it into a Southern classic, when it was printed in the Southern Living magazine. It has since become the most requested recipe in that magazine’s history and I can see why.
The cake is so good you really don’t even need icing, sometimes a sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar will do, but adding it brings the cake to a whole other level. It is believed that the cream cheese frosting was added to the original cake when it first made its appearance in the South, which was having a love affair with carrot cake with cream cheese frosting at the time. I think it was a fantastic idea, don’t you?! You can even jazz up the frosting by adding a splash of liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier or even a touch of your favorite bourbon. For a fresher, tangier frosting try adding the zest of limes or lemons like I did to mine. Whatever way you fix it, believe me, it won’t last long!
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What’s your favorite cake to bake for a special occasion?
