Art Smith’s Hummingbird Cake
Serves 12
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped ripe bananas
1 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
1 pound confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Generously grease a 12” Dutch oven with vegetable shortening and set aside.
Sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, stir or whisk the bananas, pineapple, oil, eggs and vanilla until combined. Do not use an electric mixer. Pour into the dry mixture and fold together with a large spatula just until smooth. Do not beat. Fold in the pecans. Spread evenly into Dutch oven.
Hang over medium heat, adding top coals to oven after approximately 15 minutes. Bake until cake springs back when pressed in the center, 45-60 minutes. Allow the cake to cool slightly and turn out onto platter. Cool completely prior to icing cake.
To make the icing: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in the sugar, then the vanilla on low speed until smooth. Top with whole pecans if desired.