Monday, May 2, 2011

Celebration Hummingbird Cake, and Saveur!



The simple act of Cake means celebration to me.  And indeed, there's a lot to celebrate right now: May Day, the full-blown coming of spring and the imminent arrival of summer, my friend Kashy's birthday (happy birthday, Kashy!), the OBL news-- the list goes on.  So much happiness to celebrate at the beginning of May!


Here's my celebratory cake: a celebration hummingbird cake, with sweet, incredibly moist layers packed full of banana, pineapple, and coconut, with the nutty crunch of pecans and the slightly sour and salty finish of cream cheese frosting.  Usually, I'm not a big fan of a million and one healthy ingredients invading my cake space, but for some reason, a hummingbird cake, dressed up with the addition of coconut, just seemed perfect for the season.  There's something about the changing weather, the noticeably longer days, and the softer light in the evenings that just makes me really want to eat fruit and nuts and vegetables more than I did during the winter.  And berry and stone fruit seasons are right around the corner!


Okay, now, before you get your slice of cake, there's one last BIG piece of news to share--one last HUGE point of celebration.  desserts for breakfast has been chosen as a finalist in Saveur magazine's 2011 Best Food Blog Awards for Best Baking and Desserts Blog.


You guys, words cannot express how hugely flattered and honored I am to be nominated by you all and to be chosen as a finalist by the editors at Saveur.  I'm in such incredible company that I just can't really believe it.  Thank you thank you thank you.  Now, I have one more request, if I may: please, head on over to Saveur and VOTE for desserts for breakfast for Best Baking and Desserts Blog!  The ultimate decision is up to popular vote, so go vote and tell all of your friends and family and family friends and postmen and barbers and everyone to go and vote, too!  (You have to register, which is a wee bit annoying, but ye shall be rewarded with celebration cake and much gratitude from me. ;-))


So here's wishing everyone a happy upcoming May packed full of celebration and cake!  If you have something to celebrate, share it with me below!


Read on for recipe....



Celebration Hummingbird Cake
makes one three-layer 6" cake
inspired by Saveur

for cake:
1 1/2 cups AP flour (~216 gr)
1 tspn ground cinnamon
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
1/2 cup (~2.5 oz) pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened dried coconut, shredded
1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
1/2 cup (100 gr) loosely packed dark brown sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
4 oz. fresh pineapple, finely chopped
3 very riped bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tspn vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 6" round cake pans, greasing and flouring the sides and lining the bottoms with parchment paper rounds. If desired, wrap each pan with a bake-even strip. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, chopped pecans, and shredded coconut. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.
3. In a mixer bowl, combine the egg, egg yolk, and sugars and beat on high until smooth, about one minute.
4. Add the chopped pineapple, mashed bananas, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the egg mixture and beat until combined.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in two stages, beating well after each addition.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out nearly clean.
7. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes before turning the cakes out of the pans. For ease of frosting, freeze the cake layers.

for frosting and assembly:
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 tspn coconut extract
5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
16 oz. cream cheese, cold
toasted pecans, finely chopped
fresh pineapple, chopped

1. Beat the butter on medium high for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Beat in the vanilla and coconut extracts.
3. Gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar.
4. Gradually add the cold cream cheese, beating well after each addition. Use immediately to frost the cake.
5. In between each layer of the cake, sprinkle a layer of chopped and toasted pecans and fresh pineapple chunks.


Enjoy!

50 comments:

  1. I'm SO in love with that cake and your photos are sublime. Congrats on your nominations and good luck! xx

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  2. WOW!
    Good luck!
    Have a nice day :))

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  3. I nominated you and voted for you - can I have some cake pleaaaaase? Heheh. It's beautiful. Am fascinated by the stripes - how did you do them? Edible paint?

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  4. What a gorgeous cake! Congrats on your nomination!

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  5. Surely this cake is perfect to celebrate the good new you received! Congrats!

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  6. I looove this cake! And big congrats -again- for your nomination on Saveur magazine!

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  7. Why exactly is this type of cake called a hummingbird cake? Just wondering...it's absolutely beautiful. Are the stripy things luster dust or something? I would love to work with it someday...

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  8. Congrats!! And thank you for such beautiful, lovingly-taken photos.

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  9. This is a true work of art! Many congrats on your much-deserved Saveur nomination - how exciting!

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  10. Thank you so much, everyone--cake slices all aroudn! :-)

    @Poires au Chocolat: lustre dust, mixed into a paste with a bit of vodka.

    @Rebecca @ A Dusting of Sugar: I'm not quite sure why it's called a hummingbird cake. One theory I read somewhere is that it's so good and sweet that people hum when they eat it. :-P

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  11. I am so jealous it s beautiful and surely delicious!!

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  12. I nominated you :)

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  13. You have to promise me that once I'm in the bay area you will be making this came for me and will let me eat the WHOLE thing!! I'm serious!
    Congratulations of the Saveur nomination Steph. u SO deserve it!

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  14. And you thought it was a long shot when I told you about the nomination! I knew, knew, knew you would make it this far, and I know there is more to come. You absolutely deserve it, and goodness, this gorgeous hummingbird cake is further proof! Cheering you on, my dear!

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  15. It's so lovely to see all the old favourite recipes coming back into fashion. I don't think I have tasted hummingbird cake since the 1980s...oops... just gave away my age!

    But it NEVER looked stylish like yours does here! Those little rainbow dripple stripe things are quite something. Oh, I featured your strawberry and red wine macarons in a post about edgy pink and people have gone crazy for your image! Thought you may like to know.

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  16. That is one beautiful, truly magnificent cake! I love hummingbird cake. It's loaded with so many good things. Yum!

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  17. congrats steph! the cake looks so delicious.

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  18. I've been following this blog ever since your domo cookies and I've to say that I look forward to every single post of yours - be it your creative ideas or gorgeous photography! Glad you were one of the finalists :D

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  19. Congratulations Steph! Ari and I are very proud that our big sister blogger is finally getting the recognition she deserves. And guess what! I went to a friend's birthday party the other day, and someone had made your black forest cake with the chocolate trees! It was delicious, and I was proud to say that you had adopted us. Good luck!!

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  20. congratulations! I'm new to your blog, but just read nearly all of it (and now am so hungry I could eat anything -- anything!), and I love it. I'll be back for sure!
    xo, Kristin

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  21. i totally just voted for you!

    you and this cake are all kinds of awesome!!!

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  22. My brother made a hummingbird cake years ago, which was my first experience with it. Delicious! I can't wait to try out your recipe. And the stripes are super fun.

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  23. Wow.... your pictures are STUNNING!!! I'm drooling over how great your blog is!!!

    Mary xo
    Delightful Bitefuls

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  24. Congrats! That is so exciting! And yes there is so much to celebrate right now...including this cake and the beautifully way it is presented!

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  25. Congratulations! What an honour! I have seen Hummingbird Cake posts a lot lately, but I have to say yours is the only recipe that I bookmarked! You made it look so beautiful. I love the dripping rainbow effect on the icing.

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  26. i voted for you!! this cake was amazing!

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  27. Congratulations on your nomination. This cake is definitely a winner!

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  28. i really love the style of this cake... very cool

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  29. LOVE humming bird cake- one of my old managers made me one for my birthday many years ago. She is from New Orleans and I appreciated her sharing her Southern family tradition. Beautiful- and just so yummy!

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  30. this is so beautiful AND it sounds delicious

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  31. this is so beautiful AND it sounds delicious

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  32. i really love the style of this cake... very cool

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  33. i voted for you!! this cake was amazing!

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  34. Congratulations Steph! Ari and I are very proud that our big sister blogger is finally getting the recognition she deserves. And guess what! I went to a friend's birthday party the other day, and someone had made your black forest cake with the chocolate trees! It was delicious, and I was proud to say that you had adopted us. Good luck!!

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  35. congrats steph! the cake looks so delicious.

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  36. And you thought it was a long shot when I told you about the nomination! I knew, knew, knew you would make it this far, and I know there is more to come. You absolutely deserve it, and goodness, this gorgeous hummingbird cake is further proof! Cheering you on, my dear!

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  37. I nominated you :)

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  38. I am so jealous it s beautiful and surely delicious!!

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  39. This is a true work of art! Many congrats on your much-deserved Saveur nomination - how exciting!

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  40. Congrats!! And thank you for such beautiful, lovingly-taken photos.

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  41. I looove this cake! And big congrats -again- for your nomination on Saveur magazine!

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  42. Surely this cake is perfect to celebrate the good new you received! Congrats!

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  43. WOW!
    Good luck!
    Have a nice day :))

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  44. I'm SO in love with that cake and your photos are sublime. Congrats on your nominations and good luck! xx

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  45. I have been staring at that picture imagining how good it must be. I will make it someday.

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I love hearing from you and reading your comments! Thanks so much for stopping by the blog. Happy feasting!