Old-Fashioned Amish Banana Hummingbird Cake With Homemade Glaze

There are so many recipes from "outside" that get introduced to the Amish. I mean, the list is endless. Even whoopie pies, synonymous with the Amish, may have originated in Maine and been adopted by the Amish. And with today's recipe, well, no food historian would ever credit the Amish with coming up with pineapple cake.

Hummingbird cake is a moist banana-pineapple spice cake with Caribbean origins and a popular dessert in the southern United States. Still, the cake has been introduced into Amish culinary culture and become quite popular. Legend has it that the cake is so sweet that it attracts hummingbirds. I'd make one and set it outside sometime to see if any hummingbird come, but I'd hate to waste a good cake!

🗺️ Where To Find Good Hummingbird Cake?

I seem to find the best homemade hummingbird cake in hole-in-the-wall restaurants like this one in Blackberry Corners, Ohio.

I once 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 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. Here is a picture I took of it before I devoured it. It has the more traditional cream cheese frosting.

❓ What Is Amish Hummingbird Cake?

Amish hummingbird cake really isn't much different than other versions. The most noticeable difference is the absence of pineapple, which most hummingbird cake recipes call for. You could, however, add it into this recipe if you wanted it. The addition of bananas as a substitute fruit is an Amish favorite.

📜 Tips For Making a Great Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird cake is a moist and delicious cake that is made with crushed pineapple, bananas, pecans, and cream cheese frosting or various variations.

• Use overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful they will be.
• Toast the pecans. Toasting the pecans will bring out their flavor and add a nice crunch to the cake.
• Use vegetable oil instead of butter. Vegetable oil will help to keep the cake moist and prevent it from becoming too dense.
• Don't overbake the cake. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting it. This will help the frosting to set properly.