Tuesday, May 15, 2012

~A Humdinger of a Cake!~

Years ago, my mother-in-law gave me a recipe for a cake that was called, of all things, Banana Killer Cake.  No joke.  The funny thing is that she didn't bake.  At least from scratch.  I think she got the recipe from a co-worker and brought it to me.  This cake was so dadgum good and became a family favorite for many years.  It wasn't until years later that I found the exact same recipe under a different name.  Hummingbird Cake.  What?  Yes, Hummingbird Cake.  Apparently, this Southern recipe has been passed down for generations and the story goes that the cake earned it's name because each bite makes you hum with delight.  Another theory is that it's as sweet as the sugarwater used to attract its hovering namesake.  Corny, huh?

Well, whether you call it Banana Killer Cake or Hummingbird Cake, it's one humdinger of a cake!  It's one of my favorites and since we were having a celebratory family get together last weekend, I decided to make it.  For me.  Let's get down to business, shall we?

 Sift together the dry ingredients:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

 Add your wet ingredients and mix well:
3 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
1-1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
8 oz. crushed pineapple, undrained
1 tsp. vanilla

 Look at that yummy goodness!  Go ahead and taste it.  You'll think you've died and gone to heaven.  I promise.  Now, before you eat the whole bowl, pour the batter into a Pam-sprayed bundt or tube pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 70 minutes.

This is our birthday cake!  Yeah, I know.  I didn't use a bundt pan.  My daughter doesn't like nuts and but I do and this was the easiest way to go about it.  I made desserts like this all the time when she was growing up...one side with nuts and one without.  It kept peace and happiness in our family.

In case you're wondering, I'm the one who is 59 and she is actually 28, not 118!  Hehe.  I couldn't find my "2" candle and had to resort to plan B.  Below you will find the recipe in its entirety, including the cream cheese frosting.  Yum!

If you prefer to have the recipe set up so that you can print a front and back recipe card, let me know and I'll get 'er done for you.

In case you didn't know, I'm having a giveaway celebrating my recent birthday.  I made a needlebook just for one of you!  Click on the above image to find out the details and post your comment.  Your name will be in the hat!

Praying your day is full of sunshine and joy~
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11 comments:

vintage grey said...

Oh, such a yummy cake, and I love the story behind it!! Thanks for sharing the recipe, and hoping you both had beautiful birthdays!! xo Heather

Shannon @Cozy Home Scenes said...

Velma, the cake looks delicious. We have a similar situation with nuts at our house. I am allergic to pecans but my family loves them. Thanks for sharing this recipe at Your Cozy Home Party. Belated Happy Birthday to you and your daughter!!!-------- Shannon

My Vintage Mending said...

Oh this looks slightly healthy, no? I think it will fit right in to my diet. I love it. Happy Birthday....Your lovely needle book will be such a sweet gift. Smiles...Renee

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Now who could resist a cake with a name like that! :) It looks perfectly yummy.

The candles are adorable. Improvising is usual in our home and I chuckled at your combination. SO much better than the 8 tea light candles I used for our grandsons birthday cake recently.

Happy birthday to you guys!

Connie said...

Hi, I was out surfing in blog-land when I stumbled across your lovely blog, and I'm so glad that I found you. Your Hummingbird Cake is what attracted me and then when I saw that your name was Velma and that you lived in Oklahoma, well all this came at me like a warm and lovely memory. You see I had a dear friend that passed away a year and a half ago. Her name was Velma and she was originally from Oklahoma. I do not remember the town, but she owned a little dinner and had bumper stickers made that said they made the best chili in Oklahoma. She loved to cook and sing, and after my Mom died Velma became my second Mom. I hope this doesn't freak you out . . . I know it is a strange reason to follow someone, but really the cake recipe got me, before I realized any of the other. Well I hope it's okay to say, that I am your newest follower. Please accept my warm invitation to visit and to hopefully follow me too.
Connie :)

Kerin said...

Good Morning Velma..
First of all..Happy Birthday! And, Happy Birthday to your daughter also!!
How fun to celebrate together.

Ok.. so recently, I saw a recipe for hummingbird cake. I seriously need to make one now.. you've convinced me~~LOL!

Hope that this has been a great week for you, and continues to be so.

Hugs...
Kerin

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Oh Velma, that looks fabulous! Happy belated birthday! Thanks for explaining the numbers.....I was wondering LOL!

CArol

Maura @ Kisiwa Creek Photography said...

Hello Velma! OH MY ...that cake sounds and looks DELICIOUS!!! I'm going to write it down on one of my fancy recipe cards and I think I may just make this for our BBQ Memorial Day weekend. I think I like the Killer Banana Cake name but I'll put both on the card ;) HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you and your daughter!! I just turned 59 in January...next year's going to be awesome ;) I'm glad you cleared up the fact your daughter wasn't 118 ;) Have a wonderful weekend!
Maura :)

Sam I Am...... said...

YUM!!! I've heard of this cake but never made one! I can't wait to try your recipe because I know it will be good coming form you! My sweet tooth is calling! Thank you and I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Charlotte C. said...

This cake also used to be known as "Dr. Bird Cake," named after the symbol of Jamaican Airlines. I've been making it for over 40 years.

TinaTx said...

Dang, now you have me wnating to bake a cake! I don't have time to bake a cake - and I don't need to eat a cake! (and with only two of us here, I usually end up eating most of the sweet stuff)
I'll tuck the recipe away for another time though!

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