How to make Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Here is the delightful Hummingbird bundt cake. It’s an easy dessert but it is so full of fruit that it would probably pass for a breakfast sweet, too!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ cups pecans – chopped
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon – ground
• 3 eggs – large, beaten
• 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple – undrained
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ⅓ cups bananas – ripe, mashed
• 1 ½ vanilla extract – or to taste
• ¾ cup canola oil
• Pinch of nutmeg

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. Grease and flour large 12-14 cup bundt pan.
3. Place pecans in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 8 – 10 minutes or until toasted. Good idea to move around pan after about 5 minutes. Cool before adding to cake mix.
4. Stir together flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir in the beaten eggs, mix in well and then add 1 1/3 cups mashed bananas (3-4 large), crushed pineapple with juice, canola oil, 1 cup pecans, and vanilla extract. Stir all just until dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Spoon into prepared Bundt pan and bake in preheated oven for about 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the top of the cake is firm to the touch.
6. Place pan on wire rack to cool for about 15 – 20 minutes. Then remove cake from pan and continue cooling on wire rack until completely cooled – about 2 or 2 ½ hours.
7. When cooled complete frost with the following glaze:

          4 OZ CREAM CHEESE – room temp and cubed
         2 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR – sifted
         1 TB VANILLA EXTRACT
         1 – 2 TBS MILK

8. Add all ingredients to a food processor or electric mixer and pulse or beat slowly until well blended. If glaze is too thick add a drop or two of more milk and mix in. If glaze is too thin, add more powdered sugar until the right consistency is achieved. Sprinkle with toasted pecans.

NOTE: Sift the powdered sugar when making the glaze to make sure the glaze comes out lump free. My family loves frosting so I usually increase it by another half witout the exception of the milk which I still start out with 2 tablespoons and go from there.

BUON MANGIATA!