↑

Will Cook For Smiles

The Best of Homecooking

  • Home
    • About Me
    • Work With Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Subscribe!
  • Recipes
    • Popular Posts
    • Appetizers
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Healthy Dishes
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Sandwich
    • Cauliflower
    • Drink
    • Cocktail
  • How To
  • Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Main Dishes
    • Instant Pot Side Dishes
    • Instant Pot Soups
  • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Chicken
    • Beef
    • Seafood
    • Pork
    • Chili
    • Pasta
    • Slow Cooker
    • Vegetarian
  • Dessert
    • Cheesecake
    • Cake
    • Cookies
    • Chocolate
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Super Bowl Recipes
    • St. Patrick’s Day
    • Easter
    • Cinco de Mayo
    • Mother’s Day
    • Father’s Day
    • BBQ
    • 4th Of July
    • Fall Recipes
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas Dinner
    • Christmas Baking
    • Holiday Leftover Recipes
    • New Year’s
Home » Dessert » Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake

Created: March 9, 2022 Updated: September 5, 2022 by lyuba 28 Comments

73.4K shares
Jump to Recipe

Soft, moist, super easy hummingbird cake that makes a beautiful spring and summer dessert. This version of a Hummingbird cake is so easy, it’s made into a poke cake and made extra moist from a layer of sweet, creamy sauce.

Hummingbird Poke Cake on a white plate with a fork

Hummingbird Cake

Do you know why I LOVE making a Hummingbird cake? Besides the fact that it is a scrumptious combination of banana, pineapple, and pecan flavors in a cake that is also topped with cream cheese frosting, this cake is SUPER easy to make.

I DON’T have to take out my electric mixer to make this cake! Ok, ok, you still have to use the mixer for the frosting, but only for the frosting. It’s still an easy-peasy, delicious dessert.

I’m serious about being excited about any dessert that doesn’t require me taking out an electric mixer. I can be pretty lazy when it comes to baking. I know, it’s coming from a person who has like 30 cheesecake recipes on the site. Even though, most of my desserts are not exactly two-step-easy, I do enjoy any dessert that makes it easier for me make.

Hummingbird Cake Recipe being lifted out of cake pan with a spatula

Show of hands if you love banana bread or banana cake!

Ah, yes, just as I suspected, lots of hands. My husband is the first one to raise his hand(s) (and feet) for banana cake. This Hummingbird cake is just the best cake for all of you banana bread/cake lovers. It’s loaded with bananas, pineapple, and pecans. I also made it extra moist and flavorful by adding some easy, pineapple-flavored, sweet sauce over the top.

piece of Hummingbird Cake Poke Cake on a white plate with a fork

Frequently Asked Questions:

How to tell if my cake is baked through?

There are a few little tests you can do that will help you determine if your cake it done. First, cakes start to pull away from the sides when they are done. I’m sure most of you are familiar with the toothpick test where you stick a toothpick in the center of the cake to see if it comes out clean. If it comes out clean, it’s done. 

You can also touch and gently press the center of the cake to feel how it springs up and if there is a squish anywhere underneath. Cake feels dense and springs up when done. 

You can also check the internal temperature of the cake. Although, in baking, internal temperature is not as accurate as it is in cooking. Most cakes are done between 200° and 210°, with most needing to get to 210°. Make sure to take the temperature of the very center of the cake. 

Do baking pans affect bake time?

Yes, material and the color of the baking pan does affect the exact bake time. That’s why it’s more important to check on your cake than to simply watch the time. Metal is the best heat conductor and heat up quickly in the oven. Metal pans bake the cakes more evenly but do take a little bit longer to bake. There is also an acid/metal reaction that people aren’t fond of. 

Glass and ceramic are not as good heat conductors as metal, they take longer to heat up but they also retain heat longer. Glass pan does bake faster than metal though. 

Same goes for darker vs lighter/shiny baking pans. Darker pans will transfer more heat into the baked goods, cooking them faster. (With dark bakeware, it’s recommended to lower the baking temperature slightly, by about 25°.)

Make sure to use good quality bakeware no matter what it’s made out of! This bakeware is crafted with best results in mind and will give you even heating and baking. 

Storing Recommendation:

You can store the cake in the same pan where you baked it. Make sure to cover the cake air-tight with plastic wrap or a cake pan lid and refrigerate. Keep the cake refrigerated and consume within 3-4 days.

A piece of Hummingbird Cake on a white plate with a fork inside it

Some More sweet Recipes From Me:

Pina Colada Tres Leches

Caramel Banana Nut Cake

Tiramisu Poke Cake

 Blueberry and Cream Cake

Hummingbird Poke Cake on a white plate with a piece on a fork

PIN IT if you LOVE IT!

Hummingbird Cake

This version of a Hummingbird cake is so easy, it's made into a poke cake and made extra moist from a layer of sweet, creamy sauce.
3.85 from 57 votes
Print SaveSaved! Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake, hummingbird cake, poke cake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Warm and rest time:: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 12 (9x13 sheet cake)
Calories: 827kcal
Author: Lyuba Brooke

Ingredients

Cake:

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 4 medium ripe bananas
  • 8 oz crushed pineapple with juice
  • 1 cup chopped pecans

Topping:

  • 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 cup crushed pineapples most juice squeezed out, not all
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup whipped cream optional

Frosting:

  • 16 oz packs of cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Topping:

  • 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans for topping of the cake optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° and grease a 9x13 casserole baking pan.
  • Combine flour, both sugars, baking soda, pecans, and cinnamon on a large mixing bowl.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla extract, crushed pineapple and smashed bananas. Whisk until all combined.
  • Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until smoothly combined.
  • Pour cake batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes. (Make sure to start checking on the cake after 35-40 minutes to see if it's done. Different types of baking pans, like glass, metal, and ceramic, will affect the bake time slightly.)
    Do a toothpick test in the center of the cake to see if it's done, or do a touch test. (Most cakes are also done when internal temperature reaches 200° to 210°, with most cakes needing to get to 210°.)
  • Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake (use something that is about a pencil thickness).

Topping:

  • In a mixing bowl, whisk sweetened condensed milk, pineapple, cinnamon, and whipped cream (if using) together.
  • Evenly, pour sweet sauce mixture all over the cake. Let it seep in and cool completely before frosting.

Frosting:

  • Beat butter and cream cheese together, on medium-high speed, until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
  • Lower the speed to low and beat-in powdered sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and vanilla extract.
  • Turn the speed back up to medium-high and beat for about 3-4 minutes, until the frosting is light, smooth and fluffy.
  • Once the cake is cooled, evenly frost the cake all over.
  • Optional: spread chopped pecans all over the top of the frosted cake.
  • Serve right away or cover and keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve.

Storing:

  • You can store the cake in the same pan where you baked it. Make sure to cover the cake air-tight with plastic wrap or a cake pan lid and refrigerate. Keep the cake refrigerated and consume within 3-4 days.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 827kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 277mg | Potassium: 425mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 73g | Vitamin A: 954IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 216mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

photo collage top photo is Hummingbird Poke Cake with a fork taking some out of it and bottom photo is a piece of cake on a plate with a fork

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

73.4K shares

Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, Easter, Mother's Day, Popular Posts Tagged With: banana, pecan, pineapple, poke cake

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way says

    March 10, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Oh, wow! That does look amazingly good, moist, irresistible, and totally decadent! I could go on but my gosh that cake sounds good. A little bit like my Italian cake but with more delicious ingredients. How in the heck can you bake such yummy stuff and keep the weight off? Do you have a secret? I need it because I don’t make a lot of desserts (only for special occasions) and I gain just by looking at food. Oh, the problems of loving Italian food (actually all cuisines). This recipe is a keeper. Have a great weekend.

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      March 12, 2017 at 3:10 pm

      Thank you so so much, Marisa! To be completely honest, I have hubby eat most of it if we don’t give it to the restaurant haha! Have a great weekend as well!

      Reply
  2. BJ Bennett says

    April 12, 2017 at 11:08 pm

    Looks YUMMY! I have a question about the “crushed pineapple (juice squeezed out)”. Does that mean you use everything in the can or just the juice? Thanks!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      April 20, 2017 at 7:04 pm

      Hi BJ!
      You will be using the pineapple, just squeeze the juice out of it. You can save and drink the juice if you wish, you just need the pineapple chunks for the recipe.
      I hope this helps! Enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  3. Lorraine Skeen says

    May 17, 2017 at 10:35 am

    I’d like a copy of the Hummingbird Poke Cake Please It looks SO good and has all my favorite things in it. Of course I’ll have to share it with others but that is okay. Can it or left overs be frozen if put into a Glad or Ziploc container for the freezer?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      May 20, 2017 at 9:53 am

      Hi Lorraine!
      I haven’t actually frozen a cake before. The only thing I can imagine happening is that it might get more moist once defrosted. Definitely use an air-tight, freezer-friendly container.
      I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  4. Sandy says

    January 29, 2018 at 8:28 am

    Would it work to take the cake out of the pan and frost it like a sheet cake or will it fall apart?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      January 31, 2018 at 3:13 pm

      Hi Sandy! There is actually a way you can do it but you’ll need a special pan. Are you familiar with a spring form? It’s used for making cheesecakes and they make it in the round shape and in a rectangle 9×13 shape. So you can use a spring form to bake the cake and then, run a butter knife along the sides of the form to separate the cake sides from the pan. Then, carefully take off the sides of the spring form. I haven’t actually used a spring form for cake but if I had to, that is the way I would go 🙂
      I hope it works!

      Reply
  5. Jenny says

    March 25, 2018 at 8:00 pm

    5 stars
    I made the cake! It was moist but I used AP flour (not self rising ) since the recipe called for baking soda. My BIG mistake, as the cake was good but needed salt…my family loved it cause it wasn’t very sweet. Lesson learned.
    Jenny

    Reply
  6. LIsa says

    June 16, 2018 at 9:18 pm

    5 stars
    Made this to bring to my neice’s graduation party and it was a big hit. I knew I was going to top with pecans so i didn’t put any in the frosting. I also felt the frosting tasted like straight cream cheese as is so I added extra powdered sugar (probably almost another cup) and more cinnamon. Until it tasted a little more sweet, less tangy.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      June 16, 2018 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      Forgot to add that i read the previous post about flour so I used AP flour and just added 2 dashes of salt. Seemed fine to me.

      Reply
      • lyuba says

        July 10, 2018 at 2:20 pm

        I”m glad it was a big hit, Lisa!
        As far as the frosting, I don’t tend to add a lot of sugar to my desserts so definitely don’t feel bad if you felt that you needed more sugar. It’s totally okay to need a little more sugar in the frosting 🙂

        Reply
  7. Dunia says

    July 10, 2018 at 11:30 pm

    Oh my! I love hummingbird cake but this poke cake sounds like a winner. I like that you don’t overdo it by putting in more sugar. I have all the ingredients and will be making it. Thank you so much for th8s recipe!

    Dunia

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      July 13, 2018 at 12:16 pm

      I really hope you enjoy every bite! Thank you so much, Dunia!

      Reply
  8. Kathleen Larson says

    July 22, 2018 at 12:26 am

    Can a box mix be used for this cake?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      August 13, 2018 at 11:18 am

      Hi Kathleen,
      Sorry for the late response! I’ve never used a boxed cake mix but I would imagine that it will not yield the same texture since boxed cakes and normally fluffy. This is a very simple cake that you just whisk in one bowl. No electric mixer needed!

      Reply
  9. Marty Gould says

    September 10, 2018 at 10:31 pm

    I can not wait to try this recipe!!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      September 25, 2018 at 10:00 pm

      I hope you will, Marty, thank you!

      Reply
  10. Kawana says

    September 14, 2018 at 10:14 am

    Good morning I was wondering what type of flour do you use, the recipe doesn’t state self rising or AP?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      September 25, 2018 at 10:00 pm

      Hi Kawana!
      I use all-purpose flour.
      I hope you like it!

      Reply
  11. Sunny GIrlz says

    October 29, 2019 at 11:45 am

    Do you use sweetened condensed milk, if you are making the frosting?

    Reply
  12. Sarah says

    March 28, 2021 at 8:33 pm

    This sounds delicious! But I am going to a very small gathering and thinking about only making half in a smaller pan. Maybe a loaf pan? Would appreciate any suggestions on baking times and temperature if making half. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
  13. Andrea Schwenk says

    March 24, 2022 at 9:05 am

    Can you leave the pineapple from the topping? I sadly don’t have many pineapple lovers in my house. I can hide it in the cake at least.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      March 31, 2022 at 2:44 pm

      Yes, you can just leave it out, or if you want it thinner you can add a tablespoon or so of apple juice.

      Reply
  14. Holli says

    May 15, 2022 at 6:01 am

    Very easy to make, I thought it would be wetter like a tres leches cake but it was simply moist and very rich. I could only have half my usual cake portion. Would be great for a potluck! I added Cool Whip to the frosting to cut down on the sweetness and for a fluffier lighter frosting. Thanks for the recipe! It was a hit!

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      May 16, 2022 at 9:15 am

      I am glad you liked it, Holli!

      Reply
  15. Debbie A says

    July 19, 2022 at 12:26 pm

    Hi. I am wondering about the whipped cream in the cake. Do you mean whipping cream, (heavy cream, whipped) , or just something pre made, like cool whip?

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      July 25, 2022 at 11:55 am

      I do mean a whipping cream, you can make it homemade by whipping heavy whipping cream with some sugar or you can use a store-bought if you want.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

Soup Recipes

spooning some beef soup from a bowl

Instant Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

closeup of Italian wedding soup topped with shaved Parmesan

Italian Wedding Soup

closeup image of crab soup in a bowl centered in a photo

She Crab Soup

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Chicken Meatball Soup

closeup of top view of Cioppino in a bowl

Cioppino – Seafood Stew

A bowl of white bean soup is presented with a spoon on a countertop.

White Bean Soup

vegetable broth in two canning jars next to fresh carrots, garlic, and celery

Vegetable Stock

Our Popular Recipes

Classic Buttermilk Waffles Recipe

A white bowl on top of a decorative tan plate filled with Mushroom soup.

The Best Mushroom Soup

Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup

Chicken Alfredo

Instant Pot Chicken Parmesan

squared closeup of baked ham with orange ham glaze.

Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

Top Rated Recipes

The Best French Toast

Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps

Christmas Cheesecake (Cranberry Jam White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake)

Avocado Salmon Rice Bowl

round decorative bowl filled with apple pie bread pudding topped with ice cream and a fork leaning on the side of the bowl viewed close up.

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Smores cheesecake on a wooden table

S'Mores Cheesecake Recipe

Sides

30 Min

Pasta

Salads

Breakfast

Drinks

Soups

Gluten Free

FEATURED ON:

featured on

[cp_popup display="inline" style_id="32674" step_id = "1"][/cp_popup]
The Best Classic Tiramisu

The Best Classic Tiramisu

January 14, 2023
Tiramisu...
Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

Baked Ham with Orange Honey Ham Glaze

December 2, 2022
This...
Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata

August 11, 2022
Chicken...
Pad See Ew

Pad See Ew

August 10, 2022
Pad...
Chicken Meatballs

Chicken Meatballs

July 15, 2022
These...
Baba Ganoush

Baba Ganoush

July 1, 2022
Baba...
Painkiller

Painkiller

June 30, 2022
A...
Truffle Fries

Truffle Fries

June 28, 2022
Truffle...
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

June 21, 2022
Thai...
Strawberry Daiquiri

Strawberry Daiquiri

June 16, 2022
The...
Privacy Policy
©2023, Will Cook For Smiles. Design by Pixel Me Designs