A week ago, I had some bananas that were well beyond overripe. I didn't get around to using them for anything until yesterday. The sad banana peels had become almost leathery, but they were so intensely ripe that I figured they'd make for good flavor in a cake or bread.
I'm not sure what drew me to Elinor Klivans's Fearless Baking, but flipping the pages of that book turned up a recipe for Hummingbird Cake, which I'd never made before. This cake is a banana-flavored confection with pineapple and pecans, slathered with a cream-cheese icing. Bananas are tropical, so I figured Hummingbird Cake would be good for Lost Lunch Thursday.
I've just done a little online research to try to find out a little more about how Hummingbird Cake got its name. Unfortunately, that is going to remain a mystery because there's nothing definitive as to how that name got stuck to this cake. It is regarded as a Southern treat.
One big difference between the recipes I read online and the one I used is that Elinor's recipe uses butter rather than cooking oil as the fat. All in all, I like using butter rather than oil when I can. The cake layers turned out great, but when I was transferring them to the cake dome, I perceived that they were pretty heavy -- so much so that I was enormously, pleasantly surprised to discover how light the cake tasted. Once again, I've unearthed a recipe from a veteran cookbook and am left wondering why I haven't made this cake before. All I can think is this: so many recipes, so little time.
3 comments:
That looks as moist as a carrot cake. I would venture to guess that the name probably has to due with the fruity sweetness. I'm thinking about how one can attract hummingbirds with a simple mix of sugar water. Also some of the names given to other foods by southerners are as descriptive, such as "Shoo Fly Pie". Just a guess though.
When I make a cake, I never have enough icing to put on as thickly as your cakes wear it. Do you double the icing batch? (Or do I consume to much before it is needed on the cake? -ha-)
As usual, I don't think my photography does justice to the cake. I also don't think that I did this Hummingbird Cake any favors by photographing a leftover piece that had traveled to work, then home again.
It is a remarkably moist cake. I'm kind of tempted to try a side-by-side comparison of this recipe vs. one made with oil as the fat.
<< (Or do I consume to much before it is needed on the cake? -ha-) >>
Of course, one must sample as one works to make sure that the recipe is working out properly, right? Ha.
You mean to tell me there are NO hummingbirds in this? :shock: Where's the truth in advertising? :p
Looks delicious!
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