A Wholesome Hummingbird Cake made with almond meal, tapioca flour, honey and of course the essential banana-pineapple duo! This hummingbird cake recipe is gluten free, and is also dairy free if you use a dairy free frosting.
How’s your iso-baking travelling along? Are you one of the new sourdough masters out there, or are you a bit more like me? i.e. loves to bake, but finds herself juggling multiple jobs + multiple babies during the day and knows she will woefully neglect any sourdough starter…
Truthfully I’m not the most patient baker and while I’d like to eventually make some amazing breads and delicious sweet showstoppers (kids birthday cakes, one day?) for now I’m happy to stick to pretty simple recipes. The cakes you’ll find on Nourish Every Day are all easy to make, and don’t usually need any fancy equipment.
And that’s the way it is with this Wholesome Hummingbird Cake.
What’s in a Hummingbird Cake?
A hummingbird cake is basically a banana-pineapple spice cake, usually with a bit of coconut and some crunchy nuts thrown in there too. I like to think of it as the more sister of one of my all-time favourite cakes, the classic carrot cake.
If you like fruity, nutty, deliciously dense (and dare I say moist) cakes, this cake is for you.
In my Wholesome Hummingbird Cake you’ll find:
- almond meal
- tapioca flour
- honey
- mashed banana
- tinned pineapple (an ESSENTIAL hummingbird cake element, tinned is the only way!)
- desiccated coconut
- walnuts or pecans
- as well as the usual eggs, oil (coconut or olive), baking powder and vanilla that you basically always use in baking.
What kind of tinned pineapple do you need for Hummingbird Cake?
Okay, how many years has it been since you bought tinned pineapple?! For me, I can’t even remember.
When I decided I wanted to experiment making a hummingbird cake I realised I actually had NO idea what kind of pineapple to use in the cake, so I did my research and read like fifteen different cake recipes to see what the general consensus was.
You need crushed pineapple in juice (not syrup) for hummingbird cake. This is so easy to use because the pineapple is already in a perfect shredded consistency and will distribute evenly through the batter, while adding texture and moisture.
Allergies Note
This cake recipe is gluten and dairy free. While I do like it frosted with a ricotta or cream cheese frosting, you could definitely keep it dairy free by using coconut yoghurt or a cashew cream frosting instead. You can make cashew cream by soaking cashew nuts in water, draining the water and blending the soaked cashew nuts with a splash of coconut milk and a sweetener of choice. (A squeeze of lemon juice is also nice in there!)
If you have been accumulating some bananas in the fruit bowl to whip up a bit more quarantine banana bread, pop some aside for a hummingbird cake! This recipe is really straightforward and makes a wonderful cake that freezes well so you can always stash some for later (or maybe, drop some around to a neighbour?)
Tell me if you make this Wholesome Hummingbird Cake! Leave a comment below or take a snap and tag me on Instagram, you can find me over at @moniquecormacknutrition 🙂
Wholesome Hummingbird Cake (gluten free)
Ingredients
- 275 grams almond meal – 2 and 3/4 cups
- 90 grams tapioca flour – 3/4 cup
- 40 grams desiccated coconut – 1/2 cup
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp allspice
- 2 medium bananas soft and overripe
- 440 grams crushed pineapple canned, in juice
- 3 eggs
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup walnuts chopped or roughly crumbled – or use PECANS instead
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C (350F) and line a 20cm diameter round cake tin (preferably springform for easy cake removal) with baking paper on the base and along the sides.
- Combine the almond meal, tapioca flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, cinnamon and allspice in a large mixing bowl.
- Place bananas, eggs, coconut oil, honey and vanilla in a blender or food processor jug. Blend together to form a smooth liquid.
- Drain the crushed pineapple but reserve 1/4 cup of the drained juice.
- Pour the banana-egg mixture, the pineapple and the reserved pineapple juice into the dry ingredient mix and stir everything together to form a thick batter. Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- Scoop mixture into the lined baking tin and smooth the top out evenly. Bake for approximately 45-50 minutes or until the top of the cake has turned golden brown, feels firm (but still slightly spongy) in the centre and is starting to crack on the surface. Remove and allow to cool, ideally on a wire rack.
- While the cake is cooling, making the frosting. Stir together ricotta, honey, coconut oil and lemon juice and place in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. Make sure the cake has cooled to room temperature before icing the cake.
Notes
Nutrition
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