A twist on the classic layer cake, Hummingbird Cake Pound Cake (Hummingbird Bundt Cake) is the ultimate dessert recipe! It’s bursting with flavor from bananas, pineapple, and pecans and draped with cream cheese frosting!
Maybe you know, maybe you don’t know but I’ve been reviewing pound cake recipes for a while now. They are reader favorites. (You can see them all here: Pound Cake Recipes Reviewed.)
I’ve made pound cakes with fruit, vegetables, nuts, cookies, Jello, preserves, bourbon, and more. I’ve even turned classic layer cake recipes (Red Velvet and Carrot) and a pie recipe (Key Lime) into a pound cake. When I create a pound cake I try to maintain the dense but tender crumb and crusty top. The main components of a classic pound cake.
I opened an email one day requesting a Hummingbird Pound Cake. ‘That’s a great idea,‘ I thought. Then ‘Why haven’t I thought of this before?‘ (To the sweet lady that email me, ‘Thank you!’ I hope you see this. I’m sorry it took me so long. I looked and looked for your email and was unable to find it.)
HUMMINGBIRD CAKE POUND CAKE
For my version of the Hummingbird Pound Cake, I didn’t just pour the regular cake batter into a bundt pan and call it a pound cake. I tried to maintain a classic pound cake texture.
However, I did use less butter than most pound cakes call for since the bananas and pineapple offered a lot of moisture.
Additionally, I chopped the pecans relatively small but not completely to a powder.
Like a traditional pound cake, I didn’t add baking powder or baking soda. The eggs are the leavening agent. Make sure to have them at room temperature and beat them until fluffy when you add them to the mixture. (More details below in the recipe card.)
Make sure the butter is at room temperature as well.
HOW TO BAKE THE PERFECT POUND CAKE
First, I highly recommend you read it before making a pound cake: Bake The Perfect Pound Cake!
As well, You should calibrate your oven once a year. Here’s how> Calibrate your Oven.
ABOUT THE BANANAS
You want to use very ripe bananas. The darker the skin, the sweeter the banana will be. Therefore, allow the bananas to get very ripe, very speckled, or almost black.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
I used my standard recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting, which you can find here: Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe. I halved this recipe. As well, I added just a little more milk to make it thinner to drizzle. Then, I scooped the frosting into a gallon ziptop bag, snipped the end off, and made thick drizzles over the cake.
HOW DO YOU STORE LEFTOVER POUND CAKE
I recommend storing leftover pound cake on the counter at room temperature in an airtight container. I usually wrap it in plastic wrap or cut it in slices and keep it in a covered cake plate. It will last anywhere from 3 to 4 days at room temperature.
CAN I FREEZE POUND CAKE?
Pound cake is great for freezing. Wrap it up tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and store it in the freezer for 4 to 6 months.
BE SURE TO HOP OVER AND CHECK OUT MY OTHER POUND CAKE RECIPES
SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR ONES ARE
- Fig Preserve Pound Cake
- Sour Cream Pound Cake
- Old Fashioned Blue Ribbon Pound Cake
- Strawberry & Cream Pound Cake
- Amaretto Peach Upside Down Pound Cake
- Fresh Strawberry Pound Cake
You can get all my pound cake recipes here: Pound Cakes Reviewed
Hummingbird Cake Pound Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter real butter, no substitutions, at room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted then measured
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup bananas very ripe, mashed
- 8 ounces crushed pineapple undrained
- 1 cup pecans chopped small (I measured then chopped)
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING - amounts listed below is half of the original recipe
- ¼ cup butter real butter, not margarine, at room temp
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temp
- 2 and ¼ cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons milk more if needed to make it thinner
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. (If you haven't calibrated your oven recently, I recommend you calibrate your oven once a year. For info read: How to Calibrate your Oven.)
- Coat a 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan with solid vegetable shortening and sugar or Wilton cake release spray.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stop mixer and scrape sides. Mix again.
- Add eggs one at a time beating each one in before adding the next. Stop mixer and scrape sides. Mix again.
- Alternately add the flour mixture, mashed bananas, and undrained pineapple to the batter. (Add half the flour, half bananas, half pineapple, repeat with the second half.) Stop the mixer, scrape sides, then mix again.
- Fold in the pecans until incorporated.
- Pour batter into your prepared pan. Smooth the top.
- Bake at 325°F for 70 to 80 minutes or until done. Carefully insert a long wooden pick into the center of the cake. The cake is done when dry crumbs or no crumbs stick to the pick.
- Allow cake to cool on a wire rack for 15 to 20 minutes before inverting on a tray to cool completely. Wait until the cake is completely cool before frosting.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
- Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth, add powdered sugar with your mixer on low. Add vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth.
- Spoon frosting into a ziptop bag, snip the corner off, and drizzle over cake.
- If you don't frost the cake, you can store in an airtight container on the counter for 4 to 5 days, after that it will begin to dry out. If you frosting it with cream cheese frosting, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator 5 to 6 days.
Notes
Nutrition
You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index or at Meal Plan Monday or Weekend Potluck
LaRel Alexander says
Good evening,
Have you tried this recipe with 16 Oz of pineapple? I have to make one for Thanksgiving and was just curious. Or do you have a suggestion?
Paula says
I’ve only tested it with 8 ounces of pineapple. I think 16 oz would be too much moisture.
Patricia Gibson says
Havent made this cake yet. Can a 3rd cup of sugar be added? I think all pound cakes should have 3 cups of sugar.
Paula says
Go for it. I haven’t tested it with 3 cups.
Brenda Lodge says
I made this last week and again this week. There is no leavening listed in the ingredients so I added 1 tsp baking soda. Is there not suppose to be leavening?
Paula says
No, it’s leavened with the eggs only.
linda ervin says
i cannot wait to try thismake pound cakes all the time
Lucille says
I want to try the Hummingbird cake but hate bananas. Can I leave it out or substitute it for something else?
Paula says
I don’t like bananas in anything either (I actually make banana pudding without bananas 🤦♀️) I couldn’t taste them in this it just added moisture. You can replace with applesauce.
Adrian says
This was soooooo good. I used 2.5 sticks of butter and I only had sugar in the raw. I may add another half a cup of sugar next time. It’s perfect for me but my family likes it a bit sweeter.
Robin says
This cake is moist and delicious. It’s not too sweet and very flavorful. My husband suggested that I make this cake on Sunday, after I read him the recipe, because I had some bananas that were getting a little over ripe. I toasted the pecans and put a simple powdered sugar glaze on it. He cut the cake while it was still warm. He went bunkers. On Tuesday he requested that I make another one and that one was not all gone yet. I will be making it again for Thanksgiving. I’m glad he suggested that I make it.
Paula says
😍💝I love this!! Thank you for commenting. You made my day!!
NickiDE says
The taste was very good but the texture was very heavy. I think if I were to make this again I would try adding a tsp of baking soda.
NickiDE says
Has anyone made this in a 13×9 pan? If so, how long did you bake it?
Gail says
Hi Paula!
It was me who had sent you that email. 😉 I’m so impressed! This looks exactly like what I was hoping for – thank you so, so much! Can’t wait to try it!
Meanwhile, please stay safe and well!
Gail F. (Montreal, Canada)
Paula says
Heyyy!!!! I’m so sorry, I searched and searched and could not find your email. I’m so happy you saw this recipe!! Yes, please let me know how you like it. Thank you for commenting!! I’m sorry it took me so long.
Susan says
Do you think almond flour would work in the place of all purpose? Hoping to make it gluten free.
Paula says
I honestly haven’t baked enough with almond flour to give you full-proof substitutions.
Kim Cathey says
Where can I find a cream cheese frosting to use for this cake? Which one do you recommend? Thank-you!
Paula says
Oh shoot, I forgot to link that, thank you. It’s this one https://www.callmepmc.com/the-best-cream-cheese-frosting/
I halved that recipe and added a little more milk, enough to make it thinner so it would come out of a piping bag to drizzle. For the bag, I used a gallon ziptop and snipped then end off. I hope this makes sense. I’m going to add this to the recipe.
Joan says
Cake is moist and delicious