Hummingbird Cake
{gluten-free, grain-free}
Besides the remake of my grandmother’s chocolate pie recipe, this Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake may be the dearest thing to my heart that I’ve ever created.
It’s not just because it’s out-of-this world delicious & tastes almost exactly like the original recipe that Mrs. L.H. Wiggins submitted to Southern Living way back in 1978, but because this cake actually has a special place in my heart.
When I was a very young bride, my husband asked me to make the original recipe of this cake for him. Though I am a southern girl & this cake is famous in states that use the word y’all, I had never even heard of this cake. But potentially the biggest hurdle I faced, was the fact that as of 2 years into our marriage, I had not ever made a cake without a box mix. Never, ever in my life had I made a cake from scratch. It was the early 90’s & food was about the convenience factor for me back then.
So I found the recipe in the Southern Living magazine, gathered not only all the ingredients, but also a huge amount of courage. This cake was important to my husband. His mother & grandmother had made this cake when he was growing up so it was special for him.
Food is powerful, whether we let it reside in our life in a good or bad way, it is deeply tied to our inner most being.
I followed all the directions for the cake & it turned out amazing! That cake became one of my favorite things to bake for special events because the taste is quite unbelievable.
I’ve known for quite a long time that I wanted to re-create this special cake into a grain-free, gluten-free version of itself. I worked hard & long on this recipe. I threw away many cakes & a lot of icing to get it to the perfected recipe that I am so elated to get to share with you now.
Make sure to read the baking notes below before you get started on this cake! I hope you & your family & friends enjoy this cake as much as we do & that it might become a classic in your house as well!
Hummingbird Cake
INGREDIENTS
for the cake:
2 cups almond flour
3/4 cup coconut flour
1 stick butter, melted & cooled (sub 1/2 cup ghee or dairy free butter)
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 bananas, very ripe
1 - 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, no sugar added
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup maple sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
quality spray oil
for the icing:
1-1/2 cups palm shortening
1 cup coconut butter, very soft
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup pecan pieces
necessary kitchen tools:
2 - 8” cake pans
parchment paper
electric mixer
Baking Notes:
Do not skip the step of making parchment paper liners for the bottom of your pans. Grain-free flours will break apart much easier than those with gluten as a binder & using the parchment paper ensures you can remove your cake from the pan without breaking it.
Make sure that every time you handle one of the baked cake layers you are very gentle with moving or flipping it over.
Simplify baking this cake by mixing up all the dry ingredients for the cake ahead of time & storing in an airtight container.
To soften coconut butter, place the entire jar (lid off) inside a cup of very warm water until you can easily stir it with a spoon.
You can also make the icing up to 2 days ahead of the cake. Simply mix it up & store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Make sure you cake is completely cooled (this is critical or your icing will melt) before icing.
If you would like to make this cake 3 layers, use 3 – 6” pans. Baking time will vary.
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 325.
Lightly spray the cake pans with spray oil, making sure to coat the sides of the pan. Cut two circles of parchment paper to fit inside the bottom of the cake pans. Lay one circle of parchment paper inside each cake pan & set aside.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the bananas & melted butter on a low-medium speed until the bananas are mostly mushy but not completely creamy.
Add in the eggs, pineapple (with all the juice) & vanilla. Mix just until well combined.
Combine the flours, maple sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda & salt in a medium size bowl.
Add the flour mixture into the liquid mixture & combine on slow speed, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Increase speed to medium once it’s mostly mixed & continue mixing until all the ingredients are completely blended. Fold in 1 cup of chopped pecans.
Evenly divide the cake batter into the cake pans. Wet your fingertips & gently smooth out the top of the cake batter to the edges of the cake pan, making sure it is completely smooth across the top.
Bake the cake for 34-38 minutes, keeping a close eye on it at the end. (Baked goods with an almond flour base, go from not done to burned very quickly) Test the center of your cake with a toothpick to make sure it is done.
Once done, remove the cake pans from the oven & set aside to cool for 30 minutes. Then gently turn the pan over to remove the cake & allow to cool completely (at least one hour) on a cooling rack. You can speed this process up a little bit by putting the cake in the refrigerator.
When you are ready to put the icing on the cooled cake, mix all the icing ingredients, except the pecan pieces with an electric mixer until well blended. Put the icing in the refrigerator 15-20 minutes. This should yield an icing with a firm enough texture to smooth over the cake but it should not be runny. Test it by dipping a spoon in the icing, if it sticks to the spoon without dripping off, it is ready. Alternately, if your icing gets too hard, allow it to sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes to soften.
Place one layer of the cake on a plate or stand. Spread enough icing over the top of the first layer to give a nice cushion between the top & bottom layer. Then carefully place the top layer of the cake on & generously ice the top of the cake. Use the remaining icing to ice the sides of the cake.
Sprinkle the top of the cake with ½ cup of pecan pieces. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
