My Favorite Hummingbird Cake Has A Secret Ingredient

It’s been entirely too long since our last perfect layer cake.  You know, the kind that’s moist, sturdy, sweet and spiced with generous lines of nearly too much cream cheese frosting between cake layers?  Yes, that sort of perfect cake.

I had mistakenly thought that a classic carrot cake would scratch any itch I had for a spiced layer cake but, I’m not afraid to admit I was entirely mistaken because – Hummingbird Cake .

I always thought of Hummingbird Cake as a Southern classic. Its origins trace back to Jamaica where, in the 1960’s, the Jamaican Tourism Board distributed a banana-pineapple cake recipe to spread the good word about the island’s produce.  No way like cake to spread the good news. The layer cake is also studded with pecans and crowned with swirls of cream cheese frosting. With a hint of cinnamon, all-spice, and nutmeg – it’s subtle but robust and makes for a perfect springtime slice.

Now that I’ve found my ideal version of this cake – there’s really no need to compare it to a carrot cake.  It’s more like the best banana bread, made lighter, and made a layer cake with so much vanilla cream cheese frosting.  And! This cake has a secret ingredient: Duke’s Mayonnaise.  YES – mayo in cake. It’s retro, but it’s perfection.  Let’s get into it!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this three layer Hummingbird Cake:

•  all-purpose flour

•  baking soda and baking powder

•  kosher salt

•  ground cinnamon, ground allspice, ground nutmeg

•  Duke’s Mayo to replace plain’ ol vegetable oil

•  large eggs

•  crushed pineapple, juice and all

•  ripe bananas (not as ripe as you might use for banana bread but soft and sweet)

•  vanilla extract

•  nuts are an important element of this cake. Go for pecans though walnuts are also delicious. Toast the chopped nuts in the oven until just fragrant fo add even more flavor to the cake.

•  cream cheese for the swoopiest frosting

• softened unsalted butter

•  powdered sugar, sifted is best

Ok but… why use Duke’s Mayonnaise in the cake batter?

It may seem wild to add our favorite egg salad condiment to our layer cake but mayo works wonders in this cake! Duke’s mayo is rich with egg yolks and oil and just a hint of vinegar for that characteristic twang.  The egg yolks and oil add a lsuciousness to this cake that we won’t get from oil alone.  The result is an incredibly tender but sturdy cake that stays moist for days on end.  The flavor is neutral (no one will know you reached for the mayo jar for this cake unless you tell them), but the results are gorgeous.

In a large bowl (or you can drag out the stand mixer with a paddle attachment) whisk together mayonnaise, mashed banana, canned pineapple and the pineapple juice, two additional eggs to ensure the structure of our cake layers, and sugars.  Whisk until well combined though it will still be quite lumpy.

Whisk together the dry ingredients:  flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg.  Don’t skip the allspice in this cake! It’s the most well rounded spice in this cake.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry until the two are just combined.  Stir in the chopped pecans.  Hummingbird cake batter will be thick and just pourable with bits of pineapple, banana, and pecan.

Divide the batter between three cake pans. Both 9-inch and 8-inch cake pans works well for this recipe.

It’s worth a little extra effort to fully prep the cake pans before baking.  Spray the pans with nonstick cooking spray. Add a parchment paper round the size of the bottom of the pan (yes, I cut these out by hand). Grease and flour the sides of the pan and paper-lined bottom. It’s a fuss but the cakes will come out perfectly clean every time.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Allow to cool in the pans for 20 minutes or so before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.  I like to cool the cake layers, wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze solid.  I find it easiest to frost frozen cake layers (as long as they were frozen flat).

While the hummingbird cake layers chill or freeze, make the cream cheese frosting. For the smoothest, most stretchy frosting, here’s my  Five Tips To Make The Best Cream Cheese Frosting.

Alternate the cake layers with frosting and sure, that sounds super simple.  Here’s How To Frost a Cake if you want an in depth pep talk!

Dot the cake with edible flowers like these pansies or sweet little chamomile flowers along with a a sprinkle of chopped pecans.  It’s tropical and lightly spiced. It’s sweet and soft and a perfect cake for spring!

I think this cake is best served chilled from the refrigerator so a solid four hour rest in the fridge is best.  And a slice of leftover cake with coffee for breakfast the next morning? Absolute perfection.

My Favorite Hummingbird Cake Has A Secret Ingredient

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: about an hour plus time to cool the cake layers and chill the assembled cake
• Yield: 1 9-inch cake, Serves 8-10 1x
• Category: cake, birthday
• Method: baking

Pin Recipe

Print Recipe

---

Description

Super moist cake layers flavored with bananas, pineapple and pecans, covered in vanilla-studded cream cheese frosting

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Cake:

• 3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup (165 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups Duke’s Mayonnaise
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (about 4 large bananas, 425 grams) mashed very ripe bananas
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup (125 grams) toasted finely chopped pecans

For the Frosting:

• 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 2 8-ounce blocks of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
• 8 cups (955 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
• Maybe a splash of milk

To Decorate:

• A handful of toasted pecans, finely chopped
• A few edible flowers or fresh herb sprigs

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Place racks in the upper third or center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease (or spray with nonstick baking spray) three 9-inch round cake pans. Line the bottom with parchment paper rounds and lightly grease the paper as well. (Prepping the cake pans definitely feels labor intensive but I promise it will pay off in the long run with cakes that will easily release from the pans.)
2. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
3. In a separate medium bowl, mash bananas. Add sugars, Duke’s mayonnaise, eggs, vanilla extract, and crushed pineapple (with the juices from the can) and whisk together well.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and use a rubber spatula to thoroughly combine. Make sure there are no hidden streaks of flour hiding on the bottom of the bowl. Stir in the chopped pecans.
5. Divide the batter between the three prepared pans. Place the three cakes on two rack in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. If the toothpick comes out of the cake wet with batter, give the cake another few minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and allow the cakes to cool for 20 minutes before inverting the cake layers onto wire racks to cool completely.
6. Once the layers are completely cooled, wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze overnight. The layers are easiest to frost when chilled.
7. When ready to frost, make the cream cheese frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with electric hand beaters), beat cream cheese until it’s softened and spread around the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the butter. Beat until just combined. Add the vanilla extract (or paste) and powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Add a small splash of milk if necessary to make the frosting more spreadable.
8. To assemble the cake, place one chilled cake layer top-side-up on a cake round of cake plate. Spread with about 3/4 cup of frosting all the way to the edge of the cake round. Place another cake layer top-side-up and repeat with about 3/4 cup of frosting. Place the last cake layer bottom-side-up on top of the cake and frost the top and sides in a generous layer.
9. Sprinkle the top rim of the cake with toasted pecans and dot with a few edible flowers. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Store any leftovers well wrapped in the refrigerator for up to four days.

---