Hummingbird-ish Cake


Finally!!!!!! I have been so busy with work, I am so relieved to finally get a recipe up. OK, so this is my take on a Hummingbird cake, it’s a little less spongey and a bit moister than I think they usually are (!), and deliciously sandwiched with passion fruit curd before being slathered in cream cheese icing. It’s another of the recipes I made for Henry and Josh’s recent visit, and it was the perfect ‘mid-afternoon with a big cup of tea’ cake, but is also flash enough that you could serve it for dessert with a little softly whipped cream. Seeing as I have just made it again to photograph, I am wondering how I will take it on the plane with me tomorrow, when we nip down to Wellington to see Henry and go to the World of Wearable Art…hmm…I will find a way!

2 ½ cups self raising flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups caster sugar
3 eggs
3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
439 can crushed pineapple, drained (liquid reserved)
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup slivered almonds

Cream Cheese frosting
100g soft cream cheese
25g soft butter
5 cups (don’t look at me like that!) icing sugar
¼ cup coconut cream
zest of 1 lime
reserved pineapple juice**

1/4 cup toasted shaved coconut.
1 cup passion fruit curd or lemon curd.
Edible flowers to decorate

Line the sides and base of a 26cm, removeable-base baking tin with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 170˚C (335˚F). Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, making a large well in the centre. In a food processor whiz oil, vanilla, caster sugar, eggs, bananas, pineapple, coconut and almonds until well blended. Pour into dry ingredients and fold together. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (one baker found that it cooked faster but I’ not sure if she was using an even bigger tin, so to be on the safe side, perhaps start checking it from 45 minutes). Leave to cool in the tin then remove and halve.

Whiz all frosting ingredients together just until smooth – if you would like the frosting a little softer add pineapple juice a tablespoon at a time until your desired consistency is a achieved.

Spread curd onto base layer of the cake. Spoon on 1/3 of the icing and spread out. Top with remaining cake half and cover with remaining icing. Sprinkle with coconut shavings and edible flowers to serve.

11 comments

    1. Hi Hanh – the coconut cream comes in a small tin or tetra pack and is available in New Zealand in the supermarket – it is unsweetened and all natural. If your supermarket doesn't have it you could try a specialty food store stocking Thai or Asian products. Hope this helps! 🙂

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