Hummingbird Bundt Cake Recipe - Mom On Timeout (2024)

This delightful Hummingbird Bundt Cake has a moist crumb, rich flavor and stunning presentation – a true celebration of sweet, spice and everything nice! Made with bananas, pineapple, pecans and spiced with cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg – every bite of this easy cake is pure bliss!

Looking for more cake recipes? Check out my Banoffee Poke Cake, Red Velvet Cake and Carrot Cake!

Hummingbird Cake Recipe

This recipe is a delightful twist on the traditional hummingbird cake, but in a simpler bundt cake format. It still delivers a moist and flavorful cake that is packed with ripe bananas, tart pineapple, crunchy pecans and topped with a heavenly cream cheese icing. This cake is perfect for holidays, special occasions, or simply enjoyed with a cup of tea or coffee. It’s a recipe that will impress friends and family and you’ll love that it’s so easy to make.

As most of you know, my Nana’s To Die For Carrot Cake is a top contender around here when it comes to cake requests. This Hummingbird Cake isn’t far behind. Made with many of the same ingredients, including pineapple and pecans, it’s decadently moist and perfectly spiced. Cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves ensure that every bite of this delicious cake is filled with flavor. The bananas and pineapple ensure a moist cake no matter what – this cake is fool proof.

Cream Cheese Frosting

The cream cheese frosting is a little different that what I use traditionally. It’s a bit thinner so it can be almost drizzled over the top of the cake. Over the years I have started adding a bit of orange juice to my standard recipe. I love how the orange plays with the cinnamon and cloves in the cake. A bit of orange zest on top really brightens up the cake too.

I use the term “glaze” loosely here. It’s really a cross between a frosting and a glaze. Add more orange juice to the frosting for a thinner consistency.

What Is Hummingbird Cake?

Hummingbird Cake is a southern specialty (but originated in Jamaica) and is known for its unique flavor profile, moist, somewhat dense texture and rich flavors. Made with pineapple, banana and typically walnuts or pecans, this cake is spiced with cinnamon and occasionally nutmeg or cloves. It’s a cake that celebrates texture, flavor and spice and is typically frosted with cream cheese frosting.

The cake is believed to have gotten it’s name from the fact that it is sweet enough to attract hummingbirds, and while I don’t know about the hummingbirds, I know for a fact it will attract kids and adults alike!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This gorgeous bundt cake is sure to become a new favorite in your home! We love it so much and I know you will too!

• Incredibly Moist: This cake maintains exceptional moistness thanks to the bananas and pineapple.
• Wonderfully Spiced: The combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves offers a complex flavor profile that complements the fruitiness of the cake.
• Picture Perfect Presentation: I love all cakes as bundts and this one is no exception. That cream cheese glaze piped or drizzled on top of the cake and a flavorful orange zest finish ensures the cake is as beautiful as it is delicious.

How To Make Hummingbird Bundt Cake

You’re going to love this wonderful cake as much as we do! Its’ a quick and easy recipe to make and I’m going to break down the steps for you here but, as always,you can find the full printable recipe card at the end of this post.

For the cake

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease and flour a standard bundt pan (10 to 12 cups).
2. Whisk together all purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg and ground cloves in a large bowl.
3. Beat butter until fluffy and then add in eggs and vanilla and beat until combined. Beat in bananas and pineapple and then fold in pecans. Finally, stir in flour mixture just until combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and bake for 65 to 75 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
5. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting

1. Beat cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy.
2. Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla and orange juice.
3. Drizzle, pipe or spoon the frosting over the top of the cooled cake and top with orange zest.

Start with 3 tablespoons of orange juice and add more as needed. If the frosting is too thin, add some more powdered sugar. Too thick? Add more juice.

Bundt Cakes

There’s a lot to love about bundt cakes. First, you can pick from a variety of awesome pans. I have six or seven that I rotate through depending on the cake. For this particular recipe, I go with a simpler design because the cake is so incredibly moist that I don’t want to risk it sticking to the pan. Avoid all stickiness by thoroughly greasing and flouring your bundt pan or using a baking spray that has flour in it like this one.

Storage Information

• Make Ahead: This cake can be made a day in advance. The flavors intensify and meld over the first 24 hours. Let cool completely and then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature. The frosting can also be made a day or two ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
• Leftovers: Leftover, frosted cake should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezing: I recommend freezing the cake without the frosting. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then foil and place in an airtight, freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and and the frosting just before serving.

Variations To Try

• Go nuts! Try this recipe with almonds, walnuts or pistachios for a different nut flavor. The nuts can be omitted from this recipe if allergies are an issue.
• Try adding orange zest to the cake for more citrus flavor.
• Add a splash of rum to the batter for an extra layer of flavor.

Trish’s Tips

• For the best texture and to ensure ease of mixing, all ingredients should be at room temperature.
• Be sure not to over mix the batter for a tender cake.
• This cake can be topped with crushed nuts, shredded coconut or just the frosting. Feel free to omit the frosting and dust the cake with powdered sugar instead.
• If the glaze is too thick, thin it with additional orange juice until you reach the desired consistency.

More Cake Recipes You’ll Enjoy

1. Limoncello Cake
2. Chocolate Pound Cake
3. Strawberry Poke Cake
4. Creamsicle Cake
5. Raspberry Vanilla Cake

Originally publish March 15, 2016.