We've seen hints of southern influence on Amish cooking lately with Gloria's Frogmore Stew recipe, some Dixie-inspired barbecue sauces and molasses fried chicken. Â Well, here's another southern specialty to have found a happy home in Amish kitchens: hummingbird cake.
While the cake has its roots in the American South, it has caught on in Amish kitchens. Â Canned pineapple and fresh bananas - the cake's cornerstones - Â can be bought at many Amish bulk groceries, making this recipe a favorite.
I made it the other night and had a few pitfalls along the way, but it still turned out well. Â First pitfall was skimming over the recipe too fast, so when it came time to add the vegetable oil I put in two cups instead of one.
"Holy mackerel that is a lot of vegetable oil," I muttered to myself as I watched a pool of vegetable oil cover the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Â I glanced back over at the recipe and saw it said ONE cup. Â Thinking quickly, I grabbed my 1 cup measuring cup and managed to scoop out a full cup of oil before it had fully been absorbed into the dry ingredients. Â Whew. Â Then I proceeded to combine the ingredients and no damage done (other than some wasted vegetable oil).
I then misread the recipe and used to 2 ½ bananas instead of 2 1 /2 cups, but I think they probably came out about the same.
Hummingbird cake is something found in many Amish community cookbooks. Â The recipes are all very similar. Â The recipe I am using here is adaptation of one I found on Food.com, but I have tweaked some ingredients for flavor. Â I also think the pecans are definitely optional. Â The original recipe called for one cup of chopped pecans but I only ended up putting in about 2 tablespoons, just enough to give the cake some crunch but if you like your cakes nutty, you can go to town on the pecans.
Many hummingbird cakes have a cream cheese frosting but this recipe, instead, featured a banana glaze. Â I had never made a banana glaze before but it's amazing how well that banana whips into a creamy consistency when its combined with vanilla, butter, and confectioner's sugar. Â I wish I had taken a photo of that. Â The banana glaze is what really separates out this hummingbird cake recipe. Â You can, by the way, really load it up with bananas, even more than what this recipe says
I definitely recommend this cake. Try it, you'll go bananas!:)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- 2½ cups chopped bananas
- BANANA GLAZE
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- ½ banana, mashed
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs, and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened.
- Add vanilla, pineapple, pecans, and bananas. Fold in with a fork - do not beat.
- Pour batter into greased 9x13 pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and beat until well mixed.
- Frost cake while hot - the glaze will melt over the cake.
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Cyndi
This hummingbird cake recipe is very good.But,I would really like the recipe for those glazed donuts!!!!! They look really,really good.Thanks Kevin.Have a great day
Kevin
Cyndi - Check out this post, the link to the doughnut recipe is there! https://www.amish365.com/five-favorite-amish-bakeries/
lorraine
Had to this print this. Thanks