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Hummingbird Sheet Cake

I’ve recently become obsessed with hummingbird cake.  First, I love the name: it sounds pretty.  Second, it’s almost a cross between four of my favorite sweets: coconut cake, frosted banana cake, carrot cake, and banana bread.  It’s sweet, but not overly so.  It has texture but is super moist.  It’s rustic, yet elegant.  Best of all, it’s a sheet cake and it’s incredibly easy to make.  Really.  In the “cake” world, it does not get much easier than this.

hummingbird cake

If you Google “hummingbird cake,” you will see references to a banana-pineapple spice cake common in the Southern U.S.—a mid-19th-century invention. The hummingbird cake was created in Jamaica and named after the island’s national bird—the hummingbird.  In Jamaica, the cake has another name: “doctor bird cake,” after another name for the national bird. But how did this small island make such a big splash with this tropical-style cake?  It turns out that the Jamaican Tourist Board is responsible for its popularity.

hummingbird cake

From what I understand, in 1978 the tourist board got the idea to export hummingbird cake recipes with other popular local Jamaican favorites in media kits aimed at Americans, in hopes of driving up tourism.  The hummingbird cake recipe quickly got traction.  Southern Living picked it up and within a year it had won the “Favorite Cake Award” at the Kentucky State Fair. In 1990, it got selected as Southern Living’s favorite recipe and was recognized for being “the most requested recipe in the magazine’s history.  Impressive.

Typically made in a layer-cake fashion, I broke from the mold in my recipe. Sometimes simple is best.  If you have never tried a hummingbird cake, you should give it a try. This is an easy, absolutely delicious cake that does not disappoint.

hummingbird cake

About the Author

Andrea Potischman

I am a professionally trained NYC chef turned CA mom and food blogger. I post about real food, with doable ingredient lists that are family friendly.

3 thoughts on "Hummingbird Sheet Cake"

  1. Avatar photo Diana Smith says:

    Oh, this sounds so delicious but I need the recipe for a full size sheet pan (16×24). Can you help me with this? Thanks

    1. If you double the recipe that should be fine.

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