Legend of the Hummingbird cake

A truly exceptional Victorian cake recipe. The perfect cake to take to gatherings…it’s easy, freezes well, serves a lot.

“Impress your friends with this Hummingbird Cake – a recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. If desired, crush additional walnuts and press them into the sides of the frosting, and place slices of maraschino cherries on top. cake for “guild the lis.”

There are many versions of this cake.

History of Hummingbird Cake

Southern Living magazine is generally credited with the first reference to Hummingbird Cake. He published the recipe in his February 1978 issue, submitted by a Mrs. LH Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina. But Ms Wiggins did not include an explanation of the cake’s unusual name, which remains a mystery but folklore holds that the hummingbird is a symbol. of sweetness.

The hummingbird is known to be attracted to intensely sweet sources, it is able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar it eats; they reject flower types that produce nectar with less than 12% sugar and prefer those with a sugar content of around 25%.

the most sought after recipe, the perfect take-out cake for gatherings, it’s easy, freezes well, serves a lot. There have been other versions of the recipe since the 1978 version, such as a lighter version, an organic version, but not a low carb version to date as far as I know. Of course, any recipe can substitute some ingredients. If you really want to impress your friends and family, imagine a hummingbird cake for your wedding.

It’s a southern delight that gives you the essence of the tropics with its bananas and mashed pineapple. Restaurants from the east coast to the west coast have made this delicious cake for its southern transplant customers. The cake has won numerous awards. The Kentucky Derby Cook Book (Kentucky Derby Museum: Louisville KY, 1986) has a Hummingbird Cake recipe on p. 204. A printed note in this book reads “Hummingbird Cake. Helen Wiser’s recipe won favorite cake at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair.”

The cooks in 1978 baked the cake after ripening the bananas, it was the perfect way to use up the bananas. The recipe and the cake have many names. Never Ending Cake is the name given by Pauline Isley. A respondent from Benton provided Jamaican Cake, a title that may not be far off considering the ingredients. Ella Sheets knows it as the best cake in Granney. Nothing Left Cake is the name provided by Patricia H. Downes of Jacksonville , who, with her 8 and 11-year-old sons, prefers it without icing.

Over 75 copies of the recipe were received, most of them identical. Variations _ including mixing directions, oil measurement, and additional fruit _ are incorporated into the recipe that follows. A cake that won’t last.” —Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR), April 3, 1985

Mrs. Wiggins’ Recipe (1978)

“The Hummingbird Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cup salad oil

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained

2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, divided

2 cups chopped bananas

Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)

Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl; add eggs and salad oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. Don’t beat. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup chopped pecans and bananas. Pour batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F. For 25 to 30 minutes; remove from molds and let cool immediately. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup chopped pecans. Yield: one 9-inch layer cake.

Cream cheese frosting

2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 (16 ounce) packets of powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Yield: sufficient for a 3-layer cake.–Mrs. LH Wiggins, Greenboro, North Carolina”

— “Making the Most of Bananas”, Southern Living, February 1978 (p. 206)

The Kentucky Derby Cook Book (Kentucky Derby Museum: Louisville KY, 1986) has a Hummingbird Cake recipe on p. 204. A printed note in this book reads “Hummingbird Cake. Helen Wiser’s recipe won favorite cake at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair.”