I’m not sure if I love Hummingbird Cake for the favor or the delightful name… but I sure do LOVE it! For me it evokes all the feelings of Spring with it’s delicate and bright flavors. While I choose to eat grain-free and in a Paleo style most of the time… I do fully endorse an 80/20 ethos for eating ( as long as you don’t have an allergy to certain foods) . I eat some oats, some rice, some cheeses etc. And I DO most certainly have a weekly Cheat Day. Even within my Cheat Days, I aim to stay mostly Gluten-Free because I just feel better without the Gluten.
I recommend using either cup4cup gluten free baking mixor Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free baking mix for this recipe. I’ve been baking gluten free for over 10 years and those are the two flour blends I’ve had the best luck with. In the absence of the GF flour blend I would use 1/2 white rice flour, 1/2 almond flour and add a 1/4 tsp of xanthum gum.
Hummingbird Cake
a traditional Southern Cake filled with the tropical favors of banana, pineapple and coconut.
While there are dairy free Cream Cheese frosting recipes out there, sometimes I just throw caution to the wind and make the real thing! This frosting is a real treat!
Once you assemble the cake, allow it to sit for a few hours. The flavors settle in and it tastes even better!
Ingredients
1 cup grass-fed unsalted butter, softened
2 cups blonde coconut sugar or raw unrefined sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
4 large free range eggs
1 tsp baking soda
3 cups gluten-free flour ( I recommend cup4cup or Bobs Baking Mix)
1 tso cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup Kiefer or buttermilk
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana ( about 4 medium)
one 8-ounce can crushed pineapple ( be sure to purchase the variety thats canned in fruit juice, not heavy syrup)
For the Frosting:
1 cup grass fed butter, softened
two 8 -ounce packages of cream cheese, softened.
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
optional:
toasted coconut flakes and chopped pecans for garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three round cake pans.
In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla at medium speed with a mixer until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add to the butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Add the bananas and pineapple, beating until combined. Using a measuring cup, spoon the batter into each of the three prepared pans, one scoop at a time to ensure an even distribution. Slam the pans against the counter to get any air bubbles out of the batter.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Remove from the pans and cool completely on wire racks.
Spread some Frosting between the layers. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Garnish with toasted coconut and chopped pecan nuts if desired.
To make the Frosting:
Beat the butter and cream cheese together with a handheld electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar in increments. Lastly beat in the lemon juice and vanilla.