Hummingbird cake

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I dont know why this is called Hummingbird cake but the name is very interesting isnt it..No..No..I didnt put in  hummingbirds..just what the recipe called for..pecans,pineapple and banana among other things. I used my 9x9 baking pan for this instead of the round ones. and also used pecans to garnish the whole cake instead of adding it to the frosting. The rest followed as such

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup  pecans, toasted and finely chopped 
• 3 cups all-purpose flour  
• 2 cups  granulated white sugar  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten 
• 3/4 cup safflower or canola oil  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
• 1 - 8 ouncecan crushed pineapple, do not drain
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium sized bananas)

Pecan Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1/4 cup  unsalted butter, room temperature 
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature  
• 1 pound box  (about 3 2/3 cups) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted 
• 1 teaspoon  pure vanilla extract 

For Garnish

•  finely chopped pecans as needed

 

 
METHOD

FOR The cake

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray two - 9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper. { I uesd my square baking pans}
• Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop finely. Set aside.
• In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
• In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped pecans. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
• Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.

 Frosting:

•  In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese, on low speed, until very smooth with no lumps.
• Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract .

Assembling:

• Place one cake, top side down, onto your serving platter. Spread with about a third of the frosting.
• Gently place the other cake layer, top of cake facing up, onto the frosting, and spread the rest of the frosting over the top and sides of the cake.
• Press in the chopped pecans on the top and sides of the cake.
• Refrigerate the cake for about one hour so the frosting has time to set.