As I mentioned before it was my husband’s birthday. I made him a chocolate tart and fresh mint ice cream on the actual day then I made this cake to take to my in-law’s house. I know sometimes people feel like whole wheat equals a really dense end product but if you choose the right ingredients to substitute for the refined stuff your cake will turn out fantastic!
I took the recipe I found here and made a few switches to ensure I was using the best ingredients I possibly could for the cake. I was not able to find a recipe online that used whole wheat flour so I had to adapt my own and pray that for the effort I put in, my husband would enjoy it. I have to say he loved it and I would definitely make it again using the exact same recipe. The cake itself is pretty sweet because of the banana and pineapple so I went for an icing that wasn’t overly sweet and it was the perfect combination. I hope your family enjoys this as much as we did!
*I used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Since discovering this product I use it for most of my baking. It has worked well for cakes, muffins, and pie crusts and is a great alternative to bleached, enriched white flours. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store here is a link to get it online. I also linked the mascobado sugar which is a great alternative to standard white sugar. Although sugar is still sugar and I don’t suggest over-doing it because it is “healthier,” this is an unrefined and pure ingredient.
8
Whole Wheat Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
By Published: April 16, 2014
- Yield: 3 layer 9 inch cake (8-10 Servings)
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 25 mins
- Ready In: 40 mins
This recipe will give you three 9-inch pans, perfect for a layer cake.
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups moscobado sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon I use Frontier brand as it has no other additives
- 3 large eggs
- 2 sticks butter (melted) Yes, I used real butter! It is a better alternative to highly processed vegetable oil used in many baked goods
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 (8 oz. can) crushed pineapple in juice I do hate cans but for this recipe I do recommend using the can
- 1 cup chopped pecans I do not buy bagged nuts as they usually have additives. Instead I buy from the bulk section of my grocery store
- 2 over-ripe bananas (smashed)
- 2 (8oz. packages) cream cheese (for icing) I looked for a product with the least ingredients
- 1 stick butter (for icing) Softened
- 1/2 cup mascobado sugar (for icing)
- 1/8 cup honey (for icing)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (for icing)
Instructions
- Toast pecans at 350 degrees in the oven. When you start smelling the pecans remove them immediately as nuts can go from perfect to burnt quickly. This step is very important because you will get more flavor from toasting so don't skip this. Set aside to cool while you are mixing other ingredients.
- Combine the first 5 dry ingredients and whisk around in bowl to evenly distribute.
- Add the melted butter and eggs. Gently incorporate wet and dry just until moistened. It is important not to go crazy beating everything together as this can make a cake dense.
- Stir in vanilla, pineapple with juice, bananas, and chopped pecans. Once everything is in your bowl give it a few gentle stirs to make sure everything is evenly mixed.
- Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans. Again, I keep things simple and use melted butter on a paper towel to grease. Then I sprinkle some whole wheat pastry flour in the pans and shuffle it around until the flour coats the whole pan. I do this over the sink so I can get to the very top without making a mess!
- Evenly distribute batter into pans and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Mine were done in 25 but every oven is different.
- Allow cakes to cool before unmolding. I very gently run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake, then flip over onto a plate and beat (for lack of a better word) on the bottom of the cake pan until I feel the cake release. My cakes unmolded perfectly, but do not rush this or you may risk separating your cake.
- When cakes are 100% cooled you can assemble the cake by putting icing between the layers and on the outside. I also put chopped nuts on the sides of the cake and it looked fabulous and added a ton of flavor.
- To make the icing I used the whisk attachment to my Kitchenaid mixer. First add your cream cheese and whisk very thoroughly. This is the most important step as if you rush this you will have clumps in your icing. Stop your mixer periodically to scrape down the sides of your bowl, make sure you get the bottom very well too as clumps can hide down there.
- Add the butter and repeat previous step, allowing plenty of mixing time to be sure you will not end up with clumps in your icing.
- Once the butter and cream cheese are beautifully smooth and soft add sugar. Allow to mix for a minute or two and stop to scrape down your bowl. Add honey and vanilla last and allow to mix for another minute or two.
