Hummingbird Cake is a classic Southern cake that we should make more often. Moist and rich, it is a perfectly delicious cake even without the cream cheese frosting. However, is that what you really want? Nope, we want all the frosting and flavor!

Just in time for the spring holidays, we wanted to share our favorite recipe for Hummingbird Cake from Melissa Guerra, also known as the Kitchen Wrangler.

Ingredients 

YIELDS 16 SERVINGS

CAKE 

• 3 cups cake flour  
• 1 ½ cups sugar  
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
• 3 eggs, room temperature 
• 1 ½ cups butter, room temperature 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract  
• 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts  
• 2 cups chopped bananas 

FROSTING 

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 
• ¾ cup butter, room temperature  
• 1 pound powdered sugar 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract  
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts 

Instructions 

1. Heat your oven to 350° F. 
2. Prepare three 9-inch round cake pans by buttering the insides  well and dusting with flour. 
3. If you can, cut three 9-inch rounds of parchment paper to line the  bottom of each cake pan so the cake releases easily from the pan after baking. 

TO MAKE THE CAKE 

1. Stir together the cake flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and ground  cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. 
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and butter.
3. Combine half of the egg mixture with the dry ingredients and stir  to combine well. (If you choose to use your electric hand mixer for  combining the batter, do not overwork the batter.)
4. Add the remaining egg mixture and stir until the batter is well  combined.
5. Add the vanilla extract, pineapple, 1 cup of chopped pecans (or  walnuts), and bananas. Stir well.
6. Pour the batter in even amounts into the baking pans. If you can,  it helps to weigh each pan to confirm an equal amount of batter is  added to each pan.
7. Place the equally filled pans in the preheated oven, and bake  for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when  tested.
8. Remove the cake pans from the oven and allow to cool for about  10 minutes.
9. Carefully remove each cake from its pan, and cool completely.

TO MAKE THE FROSTING 

1. Begin combining the frosting ingredients once the cake has  completely cooled. 
2. Using an electric hand mixer, combine the cream cheese and  butter. Whip until smooth, about 1 minute. 
3. Stir in the powdered sugar until well combined.* 
4. Add the vanilla and whip the frosting for 30 seconds with the  electric mixer until light and fluffy. 
5. Frost the cake by dividing the frosting into two portions. Use one  portion to fill the layers of the cake, and the other portion to frost  the top and the sides of the cake. 
6. Top the cake with 1 cup of chopped pecans (or walnuts). 

*TIP: To avoid a sugar cloud, use a spoon to stir together the  cream cheese mixture with the powdered sugar. Once the  powdered sugar is incorporated, use the electric hand  mixer to whip the frosting until it is light and fluffy.