My hummingbird cake at Blackbery Corners - Yum, despite the chaotic atmosphere inside the place.
By Kevin Williams
I sampled some of this delicious cake at Blackberry Corners, a small dive in an obscure patch of Ohio about 5 miles south of the Lake Erie shore. I can't imagine the place is ever that crowded (I think their claim to fame are their pies and their potato chip-topped pizza) but for about 10 days each May it is transformed into a packed place the Greatest Week of Birding, an annual festival held nearby that celebrates the spring migration of our feathered friends. So you have a bunch of Subaru driving birders from all over descending by the dozens on this normally quiet diner. I've been there a couple of times during the birding festival, they are the closest diner to the all the bird action, and I just think the get overwhelmed during that week. Service is usually pretty slow and the wait staff, understandably perhaps, seem harried and haggard. But this homemade hummingbird cake was delicious.
I have this Amish recipe from a woman in Shipshewana, Indiana. The Amish version usually does not have pineapple, but some people do add undrained pineapple to theirs. Anyway, check out here recipe!
- 3½ c. flour
- 1 t. baking soda
- 1½ t. cinnamon
- 1½ c. sugar
- 1 c. vegetable oil
- 1 t. salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1½ t. vanilla
- 2 c. crushed bananas
- 1 c. nuts
- Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- ½ c. butter
- 3-4 c. powdered sugar
- In a bowl, combine flour, soda, and cinnamon.
- Cream together oil, sugar, and vanilla.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Add eggs.
- Blend in dry ingredients.
- Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Pour into a greased 9x13 baking pan.
- Bake at 350° F. for 25-30 minutes; cool.
- For frosting, cream together cream cheese and butter.
- Add powdered sugar to reach desired consistency.
- Spread over cooled cake.
Pam
Silly question I know, but can this cake be made without the banana's?