Let's start this venture off right...with desert of course! A few months ago, my roommate (Melissa) and I decided to host a Southern Tapas Party before we went to our homes for Spring Break. The tapas-style menu had foods that were inspired be the Texan in me and the Floridian in her. The cake recipe to follow was all Melissa, but I thought the photos would make for a wonderful beginning to this blog.Floridian menu: pressed Cuban sandwiches, deviled eggs, pickles and three-tired hummingbird cake
Texan/Spanish menu: handmade arepas, freshly chopped mango salsa, black beans, Mexican cheeses and tres leches cupcakes
Now, I present the Hummingbird Cake, a wonderful triple-layer cake from the Hominy Grill Cookbook (Charleston, SC)...
Hummingbird Cake
Yield: 1 9-inch triple-layer cake
For the cake
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 3/4 cups mashed bananas (about 5)
- 1 1/2 cups pecans, divided
- 1 cup crushed, canned pineapple
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Next, lightly butter and flour three 9-inch cake pans and dust them with flour, or spray them with a nonstick spray. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a food processor, pulse the bananas and pineapple with 1 cup chopped pecans until the pecans are coarsely chopped. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Set aside. Combine the eggs and the oil and the flour mixture. Stir just enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Add the banana mixture and continue stirring, until just combined. Divide the batter into the three prepared cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the layer comes out clean, approximately 25-30 minutes.
Remove from pans, and cool immediately for 10 minutes. When the cakes are completely cooled, turn out onto a wire rack. Spread frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup chopped pecans.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 12 tablespoons cream cheese, room temperature (2 8-oz packages)
- 12 tablespoons butter, softened
- 5 cups confectioners sugar (1 1/2 pounds powered sugar)
In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioner's sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
