HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

One of the most complicated cakes I have ever made ..... the hummingbird cake. Not difficult just has a few more steps than the usual cake that I cook. My niece requested this cake on her recent visit so it was only fair that I insisted that she act as my apprentice. Like everything I cook I think you can add more or less of things like nuts, bananas a pineapple to suit your own tastes. As I source a wider variety of bulk pantry items from new stores my waste list decreases. This makes me very happy as I move more and more towards my goal of creating less rubbish in the world.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
Waste - paper bags from flour, sugar. Tins from pineapple. Butter paper. Cardboard and foil from cream cheese.
Composted - banana skins, egg shells

CAKE
1 450gram tin of pineapple
3 cups of plain flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon bi carbonate soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 cup of olive oil
3 ripe bananas
1 cup pecans chopped (or I used walnuts as I had no pecans this time)
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Drain juice from pineapple tin and put into a small pan and reduce it on a low heat until it becomes one cup
2. Pull or cut the pineapple flesh up and put aside in a bowl until later
3. In a bowl put flour, baking powder, cinnamon and bicarbonate soda
4. In a different bowl combine the sugar and eggs. Whisk them together. Add the oil, pineapple, pineapple juice, nuts and banana.  Mix through.
5. Combine the wet mixture with the dry and beat together.
6. Divide the mixture and pour into two tins.
7. You can make two cakes or a double decker cake depending on what you want.
8. Bake in a moderate oven until the knife is pulled from the middle of the cake clean and the cake is slightly brown. Takes about 45-50 minutes.

ICING

140 grams of butter
2 cups of icing sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
250 grams of cream cheese
Nuts to decorate the top.

METHOD

Put all of the above ingredients into a food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. If you are making a double decker cake you might want to double the icing mixture to put it in between the layers. I find this amount will generously ice two cakes. Decorate the cake with nuts either pecans or walnuts.

I think this cake needs to be cooked a few time to find out if you would like more or less of the banana, pineapple and nuts.  A big thanks to my apprentice and her friend for their help, As usual our cake was eaten with people I love and a nice cup of tea . Thanks for stopping by ......... Eco Granny.