"Hummingbird cake has the crushed pineapple, nuts and spices you'd find in carrot cake, but instead of shredded carrots, the batter is studded with diced bananas. A swirl of cream cheese icing is all you need on top, but if you really want to knock everyone's socks off, top your cupcakes with our Pineapple Flowers, attaching the banana chips and pecan halves with dabs of icing." — Annabelle Waugh, Food director
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Total time 1 hour & 30 minutes
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Icing:
Cupcakes:
Garnish:
Method
Cupcakes: In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth; pour over flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in bananas, pineapple and pecans.
Divide batter among 24 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until cake tester inserted in centres comes out clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan. (Make-ahead: Transfer to resealable freezer bag; freeze for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before continuing with recipe.)
Cream Cheese Icing: In bowl, beat cream cheese with butter until smooth; beat in vanilla. Beat in icing sugar, one-third at a time, until smooth. Pipe or spread icing onto cupcakes. (Make-ahead: Cover loosely with plastic wrap; refrigerate for up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before continuing with recipe.)
Garnish: Top each cupcake with 1 banana chip and 1 pecan half.
Pineapple Flowers: Using chef's knife, trim top and bottom from 1 large pineapple. Slice off skin, following contour of pineapple. Using vegetable peeler, remove any remaining eyes. Lay pineapple on its side; slice crosswise into scant 1/8-inch (3 mm) thick rounds. Arrange on parchment paper–lined rimless baking sheets. Bake in top and bottom thirds of 225°F (110°C) oven, turning pineapples once and switching and rotating pans every 30 minutes, until leathery and lightly darkened around edges, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Press slices into muffin pan wells. Let stand for at least 12 hours.
Makes 24 cupcakes.
Nutritional facts per cupcake: about
- Fibre 2 g
- Sodium 183 mg
- Sugars 37 g
- Protein 4 g
- Calories 391.0
- Total fat 22 g
- Potassium 152 mg
- Cholesterol 45 mg
- Saturated fat 6 g
- Total carbohydrate 48 g
%RDI
- Iron 8.0
- Folate 11.0
- Calcium 4.0
- Vitamin A 8.0
- Vitamin C 3.0
