Liz Lorber's Famous Hummingbird Cake

Name: Liz Lorber's Famous Hummingbird Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup safflower oil, plus more for cake pans; 3 cups all-purpose flour; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1 teaspoon coarse salt; 3 large eggs; 2 cups chopped ripe bananas (from about 3 medium); 1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice; 1 cup chopped toasted pecans; 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract; 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature; 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature; 5 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted; 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; Dried Pineapple Rounds , for serving (optional)

Recipe photo courtesy of John Kernick

Adapted from Anne Quatrano's "Summerland: Recipes for Celebrating with Southern Hospitality" (Rizzoli). Martha made this recipe on episode 705 of Martha Bakes.

Source: Martha Stewart Living, November 2014

2 hours 45 mins 45 mins 12

Total Time Prep Servings

Ingredients

Directions

1. Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush bottom and sides of three 8-inch round cake pans with oil. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; brush parchment.
2. Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs and oil; stir with a wooden spoon until just combined (do not overmix). Stir in bananas, pineapple with juice, pecans, and vanilla. Divide batter evenly among pans, tapping bottoms firmly on countertop to remove air bubbles. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Let cool in pans on wire racks, 20 minutes. Invert cakes onto racks and let cool completely, at least 1 hour.
3. Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as necessary. Add salt and vanilla; beat to combine.
4. Trim rounded tops of cakes with a serrated knife to make level. Place one cake on a cake plate or stand, trimmed-side down. Spread 1 cup frosting evenly across top. Place a second cake, trimmed-side down, on top of first layer. Spread with another 1 cup frosting. Place remaining cake, trimmed-side down, on top; spread remaining frosting evenly across top and sides of cake. Garnish with pineapple rounds before serving.

Cook's Notes

The frosted cake can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, up to two days. Let stand at room temperature for an hour and garnish with the pineapple rounds before serving.

As Martha demonstrated on Martha Bakes, instead of trimming the cakes, you can place a cardboard round on a cake plate or cake stand and top with the first cake layer. Tuck parchment paper strips under round to cover perimeter of cake plate. Proceed with frosting, then remove parchment strips.