Hummingbird Cake

My grandparents lived (and in my Grampie's case still live) in a beautiful big house in a village in the country. It's the house where my grandfather was born, and is seeped in memories and old traditions. Since inheriting it, my Grampie has done lots of renovations and added much to the house, usually just in time for a special occasion like a wedding or the birth of a child. There is one feature I always look for as we drive down the dusty road past the homes of my Great-Aunts and Great-Uncles to my grandparents home: a beautiful front door with a stained-glass window. We weren't allowed to actually go in or out that door, but I loved sitting on the stairs looking at it. The picture molded out of the different panes of glass is one of a beautiful hummingbird perched over a flower. Looking back it doesn't surprise me that that's the image chosen for the door. My grandparents used to set fistfuls of seeds on the deck railing outside their kitchen window so they could watch the birds and hear their joyful songs as they ate their breakfast. Out front of the window over the kitchen sink and the diningroom window were several hummingbird feeders. I remember her quietly gesturing for me to come to the window to point out these beautiful birds while she was doing the dishes. We would go to the diningroom window (it was lower so I could see out) and watch, careful not to distract the hummingbirds.

When I saw the name of this recipe, it brought a big smile to my face. I was in the mood for a bit of cake, but wasn't in the mood for a boring box cake. I was doubly surprised that this cake took less time to mix together than the box cake. As an added bonus, it needed some ripe bananas too. Having recently been given an abundance of bananas, I was more than happy to use a few this way. When I bit into my first bite of cake last night, it reminded me a lot of carrotcake in weight, but with a fruity twist. I used Cool Whip with a bit of crushed pineapple mixed in for the icing, but I've included the original cream cheese icing recipe my Grammie suggested. The cream cheese would have made it even more like a carrot cake, which would have been great in retrospect. I did, however, love the Cool Whip because it made it so light and fresh in this heat. Now, on to the recipe!

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (oh yes, just wait until you smell this baking!)
1 cup walnuts (optional)
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 8 oz can of crushed pineapple (I got an 19 oz can and saved half to mix with the cool whip)
1 cup crushed bananas

Sift dry ingredients together. Stir in wet ingredients with a spoon. Don't beat them in as it will overmix the fruits and leave you with a heavy cake. Poor into a tube pan (I'm assuming she means a bundt pan, but I actually used two buttered and floured round pans and made a layered cake). Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 40 gram pack of pineapple cream cheese (or you can buy regular and mix in the leftover pineapple from your can, be sure to drain the liquid of the 2nd half of the can though)
1/4 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 lbs icing sugar or enough to make proper icing consistency

Mix in order given. Let your cake cool completely on wire rack before icing or it will slide down the cake.


Here's a slice of the finished product. It's a dark but very delicious cake! I can't wait to have another piece tonight.

Enjoy your baking!