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Slice of Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake with Bourbon Buttercream on a white plate.

Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake with Bourbon Buttercream

Julie Hession
With bursts of pineapple, pecans, coconut, banana and warm spices, Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake lies somewhere between banana bread and carrot cake (hold the carrots.) A rich brown butter bourbon buttercream brings my take on this favorite southern dessert over the top!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling/Resting Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Servings 18
Calories 598 kcal
5 from 41 votes
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Equipment

  • 2-3 8-inch cake pans
  • 8-inch parchment rounds (optional, see Notes)
  • offset spatula (optional)
  • Electric mixer
  • Cake leveler (optional) or serrated knife

Ingredients
 
 

Cake Layers

  • 3½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1¼ cups vegetable oil (see Notes)
  • 2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 4 medium)
  • 8 ounces crushed pineapple (canned)
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Bourbon Buttercream

  • 2 cups unsalted butter
  • 1 2 lb bag confectioner's sugar
  • ⅓ cup bourbon
  • 4-6 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

Optional

  • Additional chopped pecans for decoration

Instructions
 

Cake Layers

  • Preheat oven to 350F. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with nonstick baking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment rounds (see Notes) and spray the parchment.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and oil to combine. Mix in the bananas and the crushed pineapple (including the juice.)
  • Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the coconut, pecans and vanilla.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake 25-35 minutes, until the tops of the cakes are golden and a knife or a cake tester inserted into the centers of the cakes emerges clean. Let the cakes cool in their pans for 5 minutes and then carefully invert them onto a wire rack to cool completely (see Notes.)

Bourbon Buttercream

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Continue to cool until the butter is foamy and fragrant and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the butter to a heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup. Cover and chill for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes, until almost firm.
  • Using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the brown butter on medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes. Add half of the confectioner's sugar, beating on low speed until well blended and smooth. Beat in the bourbon, 4 tablespoon of the cream, vanilla, salt and then the rest of the confectioner's sugar on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes more, until light, fluffy and spreadable, adding the additional cream if desired for a lighter consistency.
  • Use a cake leveler (optional) or a serrated knife to cut the "domed" tops of the cake layers so that you have nice, flat surfaces. 
  • Spread about 1 cup of the Bourbon Buttercream evenly onto the bottom layer of the cake. Top with the second layer, spreading another cup of buttercream evenly on top. Top the buttercream with the third cake layer. Spread a generous layer of buttercream over the top and sides of the cake. Use an offset spatula, a knife, or a cake scraper to remove excess buttercream and smooth the sides, as shown above.  Keep the extra buttercream for the next coat!  Chill the cake for 20 minutes to seal the crumb coat.
  • Spread a second layer of buttercream over the crumb coat, using your selected tool to smooth the sides and top.  (Optional) Press additional chopped pecans into the sides of the cake and decorate the top with any remaining piped buttercream.

Video

Notes

  • I like to line my sprayed cake pans with a parchment round to keep the cake layers from sticking to the bottoms. If you don't have parchment rounds, you can always trace and cut out rounds from a roll of parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, just spray the pans evenly with a non-stick baking spray like Baker's Joy or Pam for Baking.
  • Make ahead: Once baked and cooled completely, the cake layers can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator overnight or frozen for up to two months. I actually prefer to decorate a cake that has been chilled, as the layers have fewer stray crumbs and are easier to trim into flat surfaces.
    This cake will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, covered in plastic wrap or with a cake dome.

Nutrition

Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 735IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 2mg
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