**Hummingbird Cake** is a cake seen in the Southern U.S. but it was actually a creation of the Jamaica Tourist Board back in the 1960s. That’s where it gets its name, because the hummingbird is Jamaica’s national bird. It’s *not* a traditional Jamaican recipe in any way–it was a way to showcase Jamaican produce and exports, and the Jamaica Tourist Board actually sent the recipe to the U.S. as part of a press kit (culinary tourist outreach, if you will). In the mid-century U.S. we saw a bit surge in recipes involving tropical fruits (many factors here that would take too long to get into here but the United Fruit Company was a big part of it). The Hummingbird cake is an artifact of that, but it’s a truly delicious cake that, IMO, has maintained popularity for a reason.
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**Hummingbird Cake** is a cake seen in the Southern U.S. but it was actually a creation of the Jamaica Tourist Board back in the 1960s. That’s where it gets its name, because the hummingbird is Jamaica’s national bird. It’s *not* a traditional Jamaican recipe in any way–it was a way to showcase Jamaican produce and exports, and the Jamaica Tourist Board actually sent the recipe to the U.S. as part of a press kit (culinary tourist outreach, if you will). In the mid-century U.S. we saw a bit surge in recipes involving tropical fruits (many factors here that would take too long to get into here but the United Fruit Company was a big part of it). The Hummingbird cake is an artifact of that, but it’s a truly delicious cake that, IMO, has maintained popularity for a reason.
RECIPE:
Source: [Southern Living](https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/hummingbird-cake-recipe)
**Cake Layers:**
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple in juice, undrained (such as Publix Crushed Pineapple in Pineapple Juice)
2 cups chopped bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Vegetable shortening
**Cream Cheese Frosting:**
2 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 (16-oz.) packages powdered sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Additional Ingredient:
1 cup pecan halves, toasted