Hummingbird Cake

I actually made this cake 2 years ago. I visited my mother during winter break from college, and told her that I wanted to learn how to bake a cake. I baked a cake from a box when I was little, but knew nothing about the art of baking whatsoever. I saw being an adult as someone who can do their own taxes, sits in a conference room on a regular basis, knows how to use the steam function on their iron, and in a birthday emergency knows how to bake a cake. I wanted to make something new and exciting that was not from a box. I searched the internet (I went onto allrecipes.com and searched for a cake that had the most stars next to it, not very creative but effective) and found this fantastic cake recipe. My entire family is from NYC, so we know nothing about southern cooking. I have never had sweet tea, and thought making a southern style cake would be a challenging experiment. With my brave mother by my side, two east coast Jewish women descended on the southern recipe.
Hummingbird cake is like carrot cake with a bit more tartness. I don't remember the exact flavour, but remember it was FANTASTIC! It is a bit time consuming, so wait for a rainy day and the availability of a large spork and a bib.


HUMMINGBIRD CAKE  Intermediate
from Southern Living

3c all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1teaspoon salt
2 c sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 c vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 c chopped pecans
2 c chopped bananas

As for the frosting issue, after all this work you will not want to make frosting, so I recommend buying cream cheese frosting from the supermarket. Tell your friends you made the frosting anyway. Top with 1/2 cup chopped pecans and call it a day.

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 c pecans and bananas. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9 inch round cake pans. Bake at 35 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Spread cream cheese frosting between layers on top and sides of cake; sprinkle 1/2 c chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator and try to keep your friends from sticking their fingers in the frosting of your beautiful cake before you serve it.