The first cake up in the SETMC project is the classic Hummingbird Cake, a cake that I not only have never made, I had never tasted before.
The hummingbird cake was first submitted to Southern Living magazine in 1978 by Mrs. L. H. Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina. While little is known of Wiggins, the history of the cake predates this magazine article. Most have placed the origins of the cake in Jamaica in the late 1960’s, originally called the “Doctor bird cake” and it was used in various materials promoting tourism to the island. Versions of the cake also started popping up in community cookbooks in the early 1970’s. It was also the favorite cake at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair. Then there’s apocryphal reasons: it’s called hummingbird because guests will hum or they’ll hover over the cake dish. Others say that the hummingbird cake got its name from how sweet it is (and the birds attraction to sugar). However, it may be possible to say that the Wiggins Southern Living cake is the “definitive” version: the cake is Southern Living’s most popular and requested recipe of all time. I was surprised when I read that, so that’s why I had to start here.
This version of the hummingbird cake is a three layer cake separated and covered with a cream cheese frosting. Instead of butter, vegetable oil is used, leading to a bread like structure. Sweetness is added to the cake through a can of pineapples in juice and diced bananas, while chopped pecans add a crunchy and more earthy element. In the words of my husband: “it’s like a cake version of banana bread.”
So what did I think? Well, it wasn’t too tough to make. It’s a thick batter, so evening out the layers before it goes into the oven is key. Besides that, it’s a standard whipped up cream cheese frosting. Because the frosting is so soft, decoration is always going to be a little “homey,” and really, nuts are the only way to add any sort of finishing. The cake is so soft that cutting makes it fall apart and pieces are more mounds of cake than actual slices.
The taste of the cake is very sweet. Like I had the first piece and my brain was on fire and spinning for half an hour sweet. There is two pounds of sugar in the frosting and another 2 cups in the cake (plus what’s in the fruit). This is a sweet for those with a true sweet tooth. And while I enjoyed it, I honestly couldn’t see what the fuss was. If anything, it was like a carrot cake with a less rich spice profile.
But then again, the cake sort of grew on me over time. If you embrace the mound of it all, it actually provided a really good mix of cream cheese frosting, fruit, nuts, and cake. And as I kept sneaking back for another small piece, I found that a bite or two was the perfect way to eat this. Pair it with a dark cup of coffee or a strong tea, and would be a perfect way to round out an evening.
I took the last 2/3 into work on Monday (ironically enough, the same day as our Employee Appreciation Event), and it was gone by the end of the day. People really seemed to enjoy it which speaks well to the cakes crowd-pleasing nature but also its ability to retain moisture (I made it Saturday morning, and it was still totally good to go on Monday kept at room temperature in a cake tin).
Something I would make again, but not something likely to make the pantheon of my personal favorites.
