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Hummingbird Cake Recipe

March 10, 2022 By Gretchen 15 Comments

“What cake was the most popular the year you were born?”

The Hummingbird Cake was widely featured back in the late 1970’s and has recently regained popularity.

Hummingbird Cake

Since I was just a wee one back in the late 70’s

I was not familiar with this cake but upon researching it I discovered

It is really not that different than a traditional carrot cake!

Tropical Carrot Cake Recipe

Tropical Carrot Cake

So naturally when I set out to recreate it I used my carrot cake recipe as a starting point.

With a few tweaks to make it authentically Hummingbird!

Hummingbird Cake

The Hummingbird Cake is of Jamaican decent and was known as the Dr. Bird Cake

An appropriate nickname owed to the Red-billed Streamertail hummingbird native to the island.

It is said that the cakes sweetness is enough to attract hummingbirds just as they would be attracted to nectar.

Perhaps the original recipe made from pineapple and bananas was sweeter than my version

Because I have to say my veganized rendition of this classic is not too sweet but rather just perfect!

With a new recipe for no refrigerator cream cheese filling, this cake will have you back for seconds!

The subtle cinnamon and hint of nutmeg tie it all together

And the fresh flower decor is the winning touch!

Hummingbird Cake

Notes for Success and Substitutions

I’ve lightened up this recipe by replacing some of the oil with applesauce.

Some people have said they cannot get applesauce or don’t want to buy it, so you can simply add the oil back in at the same amount as listed for the applesauce

I have added pecans to my recipe but if you want ti to be nut free simply take out the nuts with no changes needed to the recipe

I have the original cream cheese icing recipe listed below which requires a purchased vegan cream cheese.

The no refrigerator recipe is now my go-to recipe for everything cream cheese icing!

If you are using fresh flowers for decor like I did, be sure to dip the end stems into white chocolate as a buffer from getting anything unwanted from inedible flowers into the cake

Or simply use edible flowers to avoid causing any harm to anyone eating the cake.

CLICK HERE FOR THE YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MIX THIS CAKE

Hummingbird Cake

For more cake recipes like this one click the links below!

Tropical Carrot Cake Recipe
Tropical Carrot Cake
Carrot Apple Cake Bread
Carrot Apple Bread
Zucchini Bread Recipe
Zucchini Bread

Tropical Carrot Cake Recipe

Carrot Apple Cake Bread

Zucchini Bread Recipe

5.0 from 3 reviews
Hummingbird Cake
 
Print
Prep time
50 mins
Bake time
30 mins
Total time
1 hour 20 mins
 
I use 7" cake pans for 3 layers of cake, but you can use 2-8" pans for 2 thicker layers
Serves: 1-7" cake serves 8-10 people
Ingredients
  • Vegetable Oil ½ cup (118ml)
  • Applesauce ½ cup (113g)
  • All Purpose Flour 1¾ cup (220g)
  • Baking Powder 1 teaspoon (4g)
  • Baking Soda 1 teaspoon (4g)
  • Salt ¼ teaspoon
  • Ground Cinnamon 1¼ teaspoon
  • Nutmeg ½ teaspoon
  • Brown Sugar ½ cup (105g)
  • Granulated Sugar ½ cup (100g)
  • Ripe Banana 1½ large or equivalent to 1cup
  • Crushed Pineapple Drained 1 cup
  • Vanilla Extract 1½ teaspoons (7ml)
  • Orange Zest from ½ large orange approx 1½ teaspoon
  • Toasted Pecans 1¼ cup
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl combine the sugars with the oil, vanilla extract, mashed banana and applesauce, whisk smooth
  2. Add the orange zest
  3. Then sift together all of the dry ingredients directly into the bowl and whisk smooth
  4. Add the pineapple and the nuts then mix smooth
  5. Pour batter into greased and parchment lined cake pans and bake immediately at 350°F in a preheated oven for approximately 28-40 minutes depending on the size of your pans. Or until the cakes are springy to the touch when you gently press the centers
  6. Cool cakes while you prepare the Cream Cheese Icing recipe below and then assemble cake as shown in the video
Notes
The baked layers of this cake can be wrapped well and stored in the freezer for up to 1 month, or go ahead and fill and ice your cake as soon as it is completely cooled.
3.5.3226

For the Cream Cheese Filling Recipe:

*Updated version of NO REFRIGERATOR/ NO CREAM CHEESE RECIPE

No Shortening Buttercream Icing Recipe

No Shortening Buttercream

5.0 from 3 reviews
Cream Cheese Filling
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Total time
15 mins
 
I often use apple cider vinegar in recipes that call for cream cheese, since vegan cream cheese does not have that characteristic tang of regular cream cheese.
I did not add it in the video, but you can (as I often do) add 1 teaspoon with the extracts
Serves: 4 cups
Ingredients
  • Vegan Cream Cheese 2 Tubs (2cups) (454g)
  • Vegan Butter 1 stick (½ cup) (112g)
  • Confectioner's Sugar 1½ cups (180g)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
  • Almond Extract 1 teaspoon
  • Apple Cider Vinegar *optional 1 teaspoon - see note above
Instructions
  1. Smooth the vegan butter with the sifted confectioners sugar either by hand with a large wooden spoon or with an electric mixer, and then add the extracts
  2. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure you don't have any lumps.
  3. Add the vegan cream cheese and mix smooth
  4. Try to not to whip it to fast (if you are using an electric mixer as this will cause your icing to go "soupy")
  5. Refrigerate until you are going to use it to fill & ice your cake
Notes
Cream cheese icing (and any cakes made with cream cheese icing) must stay refrigerated.

This recipe will last for up to 10 days in a clean airtight container in the refrigerator or as an icing or filling for your cake
3.5.3226

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: All Recipes, Cake Recipes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Annie

    July 28, 2018 at 10:44 pm

    Thank you Gretchen. This cake turned our beautifully. It’s so tropical and tasty and I can’t wait to share it with friends. I’m loving your vegan bakery!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 28, 2018 at 10:47 pm

      thank you for the feedback! Much appreciated!

      Reply
    • ANGELA MANNING

      February 13, 2023 at 10:45 pm

      Hi Gretchen,

      Can I use aquafaba? Just wonder if it will produce a lighter cake

      Reply
      • Gretchen

        February 13, 2023 at 11:22 pm

        Hi Angela, I know the photos are not the best on this cake, but hopefully you can see that this cake is already light & very moist.
        Adding aquafaba to cake recipes does not always mean=lighter cakes, on the contrary many recipes where people sub in AF could result in heavy gummy cakes almost raw cakes.
        Especially since I have already added applesauce to replace some of the oil in the original recipe, aquafaba would throw the balance off
        I would not recommend to make any substitutions here, and if you notice there is not even an egg replacer required for this recipe

        Reply
  2. Jemma Helm

    July 29, 2018 at 11:53 pm

    Really lovely cake! Like you said sweet but not too sweet 🙂 I am just wondering the difference in cream cheese icing from your carrot cake recipe, for example that one has optional buttercream added and different mixing process. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      July 30, 2018 at 12:24 am

      Yes thanks! I prefer this new mixing method because I find that the vegan cream cheese is really touchy to over-mixing. And the buttercream addition is just optional. I do it sometimes, sometimes I don’t

      Reply
  3. Pamela

    January 1, 2019 at 10:01 pm

    Can I make this with cake flour ? I have recipe I use but wanted to try this since you are amazing

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      January 2, 2019 at 11:04 pm

      Thanks! Yes you can, however in a recipe like this (high liquid content) I like to use at least a portion of AP flour since it will absorb more liquids than cake flour.

      Reply
  4. Marian Phair

    November 29, 2019 at 2:45 am

    Fantantic recipe. I made the cake on Sunday. Froze the layers, thawed them out Thanksgiving morning and frost it 1 hour before dinner. It was a hit for the meat eaters and the be vegans. I got requests for the recipe. I will definitely save this recipe soni can make over and over again. Thank you for this recipe and the tip of using vinegar to make the frosting.

    Reply
  5. Kelsie

    December 21, 2019 at 11:42 am

    Wow! I made this recipe into cupcakes today and it was divine! Looks of great feedback by all! I couldn’t find vegan cream cheese though so I used a different icing recipe ?

    Reply
  6. Baisali

    May 31, 2020 at 3:31 am

    Hie instead of applesauce what else we can use..??

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      May 31, 2020 at 7:17 pm

      Oil, the applesauce was a replacement for (the original amount) of oil. I just wanted to lighten it up a bit!

      Reply
  7. Ash

    December 7, 2020 at 8:46 am

    Hi Gretchen, this cake looks absolutely amazing! I am planning on making this for my sister’s birthday this weekend! I do have a question regarding the oil and applesauce in this recipe. If I choose to use just oil and no applesauce, how much in cups or ml will that be equivalent to?
    Thank you so much!

    Reply
    • Gretchen

      December 7, 2020 at 1:39 pm

      HI! Yes you can replace the applesauce with the same amount of oil!

      Reply
  8. Anne

    April 4, 2021 at 6:38 pm

    I’m saving this recipe in ‘favourites’. This cake is delicious. I’m a big carrot cake fan but I’d say I like this even more. I followed the recipe and it worked perfectly. I froze the cakes for a couple days before preparing for Easter.
    Thank you for this recipe!

    Reply

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Yep, it's me Gretchen~ Owner of Gretchen's Bakery. Well, I no longer own a physical bakery since I sold mine in late 2014 & since 2016 I make nothing but the best vegan recipes! Read More…

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