This cake can be made much sweeter than I chose to make it (I’ve seen it made with 2 cups of sugar!), and it can also be made with the addition of chopped pecans (which is quite traditional for a classic, southern “Hummingbird Cake”). I’ve also seen some recipes add coconut – which I know tastes delicious with pineapple (like in pineapple coconut muffins), or cinnamon (but I didn’t add either one of these this time). On the other hand, you can also substitute all or part whole wheat flour, skimp on the sugar a little, or use some brown sugar instead, as well as use a tad (but just a tad) less oil, and this will still turn out good. How could it not?! It’s loaded with yummy banana and pineapple!

bananacake
oops, that one little banana slice is about to topple off… this was snapped in a hurry cuz the guests were already here…

Banana Pineapple Cake (aka Hummingbird Cake)

3 – 4 ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 cups)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup butter, softened (or use all oil)
3 eggs
1 – 8 oz can crushed pineapple, with juice (or half of a 20 oz can)
1 – 2 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (OR 1 tsp baking powder plus 3/4 tsp baking soda)

1 tsp cinnamon (opt)
1 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts) (opt)
1 cup coconut (opt)

Mash bananas in bowl, add sugar, oil, butter and stir well. Beat in eggs, dump in pineapple and add vanilla. Add optional chopped nuts and coconut. Stir until thoroughly combined.

In separate bowl, stir flour and baking soda and/or baking powder and optional cinnamon until well combined. Dump in wet ingredients and stir all together until well mixed.

Grease two 9″ round cake pans and line the bottoms with circles of wax paper. Divide batter evenly between. Bake at 350*F for about 30 minutes, until top springs back when pressed and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

(This cake can also be baked in a 9 x 13 pan or two 8 x 8 pans. Watch the baking time, though, it may change a little.)

Remove from oven and let set 10 or 15 minutes to cool a bit before carefully removing from pans. Run a knife around the edge and flip onto a plate (put plate upside down on top of cake and turn over). If you like, you can transfer the cakes to a cooling rack (using the same method).

Cream Cheese Icing: (and this is optional
1/4 cup butter, softened
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 – 2 1/2 cups icing sugar (add more if you like a stiffer icing – up to about 3 1/2 cups)
1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, and a nice spreading consistency.

Assemble Cake:
1. Put first cake layer upside down on plate.
2. Spread with cream cheese icing.
3. Place second cake layer on top, right side up.
4. Frost entire cake with cream cheese icing, sides first, and then top.
5. Decorate with slices of fresh banana, coconut, or nuts, if you like.

Cover with upside down bowl, or store in a cake keeper and keep refrigerated. This cake is very moist and keeps well in the fridge. Like banana bread, it just tastes even better the next day.

One precaution: From first-hand experience, this cake can have a tendency to fall in the center as it cools, if a little underbaked, so be sure to check well for doneness before removing from oven. In trying not to OVERbake mine, I neglected the toothpick check, and after removing from the oven looking nice and risen, it eventually fell miserably. I compensated with filling the concave center of the top of my cake with sliced bananas. Voila! But upon cutting into it, found the center a tad gooier than even I’d like. Still, the flavor was SOOO good. This cake is a definite repeat. In fact, I just made a half batch with whole wheat flour in an 8 x 8 pan – no icing – it was for snacks. Well, and using only 1 leftover banana and the rest of that 20 oz can of crushed pineapple that was sitting in the fridge…