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Hi Bold Bakers!
WHAT YOU GET: A lovely Hummingbird Coffee Cake recipe filled with fruit and spices, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even afternoon tea.
I want to introduce you to Brian Hart Hoffman, founder & editor in chief at Bake from Scratch Magazine! Brian is a close friend of mine and he knows a thing or two about good southern baking, so I’ve asked him to share some of his favorite recipes with us as part of our Bold Baking Network.
He chose this incredible Hummingbird Coffee Cake, filled with fruits like pineapple, banana, and featuring some lovely spices as well.
Here’s what he had to say about it!
“I love the flavors of Hummingbird—the banana, pineapple, and warm spices make this baker smile and dance. In the Bake from Scratch test kitchen, we’re constantly dreaming up “Hummingbird” recipes, from cookie bars to loaf cakes, roulades, pies, and more. If you can bake it, we can Hummingbird it.”
What Is A Hummingbird Cake?
Good question — this is a Hummingbird Coffee Cake, but what makes it “hummingbird” is the same as a hummingbird cake — the inclusion of banana, pineapple, and warm spices. Hummingbird cakes originated in Jamaica, but have been a staple of the south since the 1970’s.
Oh, and they’re absolutely delicious!
What You Need
- 8-inch deep round cake pan
- Saucepan
- Medium mixing bowl
- Small bowl for streusel
- Whisk
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer with like attachment
- An offset spatula
How To Make Hummingbird Coffee Cake
This recipe is divided into 4 parts: the browned butter, the streusel, the cake, and the glaze. All of them are very simple, but the order does matter. Making sure your butter browns properly without burning will be your biggest hurdle, then just make sure the browned butter cools completely before using it in the rest of the recipe. You’ll see that as it approaches room temperature, it begins to thicken and reset, which is exactly what you want.
After this, it’s all about making the streusel (which is so very easy) and mixing up your cake (be sure not to overmix to achieve that light and airy crumb), assembling, then baking and topping with your glaze!
Tips For Making Hummingbird Coffee Cake
- Browned butter is simple to make and adds flavor and nuttiness to recipes. Be sure to plan ahead so the butter has time to cool after being browned.
- Make sure your bananas are really ripe for maximum flavor in this coffee cake. They will also incorporate into the batter easier when really ripe.
- Unless otherwise specified, always use room-temperature eggs and dairy when you bake.
- If you don’t have a tall-sided 8-inch cake pan, you can use an 8-inch springform pan for this recipe.
- For a tender cake, don’t overmix your batter. You want to mix until it is just combined and no pockets of flour remain. You can even stop the mixer when there is some flour remaining and then gently fold by hand to finish combining the batter.
- The coffee cake will stay moist, covered at room temperature, for a few days. But it’s incredible served when it is still warm from the oven.
Bake from Scratch (And TheBakeFeed)
If you’re looking for great recipes & writing, check out Brian’s Bake from Scratch magazine, which is offered in both print and digital.
If you’re looking for a delicious baking social media experience, make sure you’re following along on Instagram on the incredibly popular @TheBakeFeed — add it to your usual daily scrolling and you won’t be disappointed! While you’re there, add Brian’s personal account, @brianharthoffman, to keep up to date with him on a different level
Thanks a million, Brian! We can’t wait to have you back for more soon.
The Bold Baking Network
Bigger Bolder Baking is thrilled to introduce you to the Bold Baking Network, a team of talented chefs, creators, and experts looking to teach, entertain and help you on your baking journey. Here are more articles from our amazing collaborators.
- Chocolate Pancakes (With A Secret Ingredient)
- Dirty Chai Brownies
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins
- Homemade Hamantaschen Cookies
- Baking Powder VS. Baking Soda When Baking Cookies
- Passover Cream Puffs
- Carrot Cake Muffins (With A Cream Cheese Filling)
- Enhancing The Taste Of Sugar
Try These Recipes!
Watch The Recipe Video!
Hummingbird Coffee Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Browned Butter
- ½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter
Streusel
- ⅓ cup (42 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.75 grams) kosher salt
- 3½ tablespoons (49 grams) unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup (57 grams) pecan halves (chopped)
Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large banana (mashed)
- ½ cup (100 grams) drained crushed pineapple
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (162 grams) granulated sugar (divided)
- ¼ cup (55 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon (2.25 grams) kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon (3.75 grams) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground cinnamon (divided)
Glaze
- ½ cup (60 grams) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1½ teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8-inch round deep cake pan with baking spray or butter and dust with flour.
Browned Butter
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook until butter turns a medium-brown color and has a nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
Streusel
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in butter until mixture is crumbly. Crumble with your fingertips until desired consistency is reached. Stir in pecans.
Cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat eggs, banana, pineapple, and vanilla at medium speed until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in browned butter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and ½ teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon. Gradually add flour mixture to browned butter mixture, beating just until combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1 tablespoon (12 grams) granulated sugar and remaining ½ teaspoon (1 gram) cinnamon. Spread half of batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle with one-third of streusel and cinnamon-sugar mixture. Top with remaining batter, smoothing top with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with remaining streusel.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool in pan the 15 minutes. Run a sharp knife around edges of cake to loosen sides. Invert onto a plate, and then invert again onto a wire rack.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, sour cream, and milk. Pour over warm cake.
Hi Gemma,
I only have an 9 inch cake pan. Would I bake it at the same temperature and for the same amount of time? Thank you.
I want so bad to make this cake but I can’t add pecans because my daughter has allergies.Can you recommend something else ? I’m sure it won’t be the same.Thank you!
Great cake, easy to make, had to buy a new pan, but good to have an 8” pan. I was worried about the banana, but it didn’t overtake the cake flavor.
Just made this. It turned out delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. I had never heard of Hummingbird Cake before but when I saw the video and what went into this cake I knew I had to try it. I am sitting here enjoying a warm piece of cake. Yum!
Not sure if I made it correc9tly. … forgot to toast the pecans, and added it before mixing the butter into it.
Hi Gemma
Do I have to toast the pecans before adding to the streusel?
Can almond flour be used instead of all purpose for keto?
I know the sugars can be switched for keto.
Very moist had to use apple sauce since I had no ripe bananas but taste great
I will also add a can of drained mandarin oranges to the mix.
Can you double the receipt and bake it in a 9×13 pan?