Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

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Hummingbird Bread is made with mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans, and is topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. With all of these incredible flavors, this Southern staple is sure to be your new favorite treat!

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (1)

Hummingbird Bread is a fun take on the classic hummingbird cake and is made in a loaf pan. It is made with simple ingredients and is perfect for any occasion.

If you love the flavor combination of pineapple, bananas, pecans, and coconut, don’t miss my fan-favorite Hummingbird Muffins or thesedelicious Pineapple Bars. For another baked treat, try these Lemon Ricotta Muffins or Cappuccino Muffins!

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You’ll Love Hummingbird Bread!

Hummingbird bread is the ultimate quick bread recipe. Made with overripe bananas, pineapple chunks, chopped pecans, and sweetened shredded coconut, this southern classic really has it all.

My hummingbird bird bread recipe is modeled after the traditional hummingbird cake. This version has all of the flavors of hummingbird cake, is simple to make, and includes a delicious and flavorful cream cheese glaze.

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2)

This bread is a fun take on classic banana bread and is filled with some many delicious flavors. It’s a great treat to make ahead and perfect for any occasion.

You’ll love that you can make this bread in one bowl and that it is full of delicious flavors and textures. Plus, the cream cheese icing takes delicious hummingbird bread to a whole new level.

So, if you are craving a tasty and fruit-filed treat, be sure to give this hummingbird loaf cake a try. You’re going to love it!

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (3)

What is Hummingbird Bread?

Hummingbird Bread is definitely not bird food. Named after the island’s national bird, Hummingbird cake originated from Jamaica.

Its recipe, along with other traditional Jamaican recipes, were sent to America as a tourism promotion in the late 1970s. Laced with traditional island flavors, it’s no surprise that it quickly became and remains so popular.

The original cake ran inSouthern Living Magazine in 1978and has been one of the most requested recipes to date. Moreover, my version of Hummingbird Bread has all of the delicious flavors of the original and is an easy recipe to make in a loaf pan.

Ingredients

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (4)
  • Bananas: you’ll need about three medium-sized ripe bananas.
  • Sugar: use regular granulated sugar.
  • Brown Sugar: light brown sugar gives these cake great flavor.
  • Egg: you’ll just need one large egg.
  • Oil: use neutral-flavored oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
  • Flour: all purpose flour works best.
  • Baking Powder and Baking Soda: you need both to help the hummingbird bread rise.
  • Salt: kosher salt works best for baking.
  • Coconut: use sweetened shredded coconut for both the bread and the a bit to garnish.
  • Pineapple: fresh chopped pineapple works best but you can use canned. Be sure to pat the sweet pineapple dry before adding to the batter.
  • Pecans: chopped pecans are needed for both the batter and decoration.
  • Cream Cheese: use full-fat room temperature cream cheese for the frosting.
  • Butter: you’ll need half a stick of butter for the frosting.
  • Powdered Sugar: icing sugar is essential for a smooth and sweet icing for the bread.
  • Vanilla: add a bit of vanilla extract to flavor the icing.
  • Cinnamon: a touch of cinnamon adds incredible warm flavors to the classic cake.

How to Make Hummingbird Bread

What I love about this recipe is how simple it is to make ahead! You can make Hummingbird Bread up to three days in advance and refrigerate with excellent results; and the bread takes up much less room than a whole cake!

Because I wanted a more tropical flavor, note that I did update one of the flavors from the original recipe. By adding sweetened coconut flakes, I was able to intensive that tropical flavor in this Hummingbird Bread recipe.

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (5)

Step 1: mix dry ingredients

In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Step 2: mix wet ingredients

In a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugars, oil, and egg. Use an electric mixer to mix until well combined. Then, add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.

Step 3: add in mix ins and bake

Lastly, add in the chopped pineapple, pecans, and coconut. Use a rubber spatula to combine.

Pour batter into a 9×5 inch loaf pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray and lined with parchment paper. Bake on center rack in oven until a toothpick inserted into the hummingbird bread comes out clean.

Step 4: frost and serve

Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before moving it a wire rack. Make sure the bread is completely cooled before adding the frosting.

To make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting, combine the room temperature butter and cream cheese in a medium bowl. Use a hand mixer to cream together.

Then, mix in the vanilla and cinnamon. Lastly, add in the powdered sugar and mix on low until well combined.

Spread the cream cheese frosting over top of the cooled hummingbird banana bread. Garnish with chopped pecans and coconut.

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (6)

Cut the hummingbird bread into individual slices and serve immediately or refrigerate for later.

Recipe Tips

  • Overly ripe bananas are great for this dish. To ensure a smooth texture, be sure to mash well before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  • As for the pineapple, fresh or canned work great. Either way, just try to squeeze out as much of the excess moisture as possible before incorporating the pineapple into the batter.
  • Also, if you don’t have pecans on hand, chopped walnuts would be fine substitution.
  • Make-ahead tip: Make the bread up to a month in advance and freeze in an airtight container. However, don’t make the cream cheese frosting until ready to serve because it will not hold up in the freezer.

You can refrigerate frosted Hummingbird Bread for up to three days.

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (7)

More Delicious Quick Bread Recipes

  • Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
  • Glazed Zucchini Apple Bread
  • Chocolate Zucchini Banana Bread
  • Cranberry Walnut Banana Bread

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (12)

Hummingbird Bread with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hummingbird Bread is made with mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and chopped pecans, and is topped with a cinnamon cream cheese frosting. With all of these incredible flavors, this Southern staple is sure to be your new favorite treat!

5 from 34 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Cooling Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 316kcal

Author: Angela Allison

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut
  • ½ cup pineapple, diced and patted dry
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • cup chopped pecans

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.

  • In a large mixing bowl combine the mashed banana, sugars, egg, and oil. Beat with an handheld mixer until well combined. Add in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix until combined. Fold in the coconut, pineapple, and chopped pecans.

  • Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool completely on wire baking rack before adding frosting.

  • To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and beat until combined. Spread evenly over top of the cooled loaf and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Notes

  • Overly ripe bananas are great for this dish. To ensure a smooth texture, be sure to mash well before adding the rest of the ingredients.
  • As for the pineapple, fresh or canned work great. Either way, just try to squeeze out as much of the excess moisture as possible before incorporating the pineapple into the batter.
  • Also, if you don’t have pecans on hand, chopped walnuts would be fine substitution.
  • Make-ahead tip: Make the bread up to a month in advance and freeze in an airtight container. However, don’t make the cream cheese frosting until ready to serve because it will not hold up in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 316kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 276IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Hummingbird Bread Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

FAQs

Why is my hummingbird cake dense? ›

Whisk these together in a separate bowl. Gently combine wet & dry ingredients. Use a spatula for this part and not an electric mixer. You want to take care not to accidentally over-mix the batter or the cake could end up dense and dry, or even rubbery (like over-mixed banana pancakes).

Why are they called hummingbird cupcakes? ›

Hummingbird Cupcakes are filled with bananas, crushed pineapple, spices, and pecans — or walnuts if you're not in the South — and then topped with a cream cheese frosting. Most people say it's called “hummingbird” cake because everyone hums in happiness like the tiny bird when they eat it!

Why is it called hummingbird cake? ›

Created in Jamaica where the dessert is called the doctor bird cake (or Dr. Bird cake), it is named after the island's national bird, the scissors-tail hummingbird (locally known as the doctor bird).

What is hummingbird cake made of? ›

If you're not familiar, hummingbird cake is a spiced pineapple-banana cake topped with cream cheese frosting and pecans. Maybe it's the pecans that lure me in or the way the taste fools me into thinking I might just be eating a fancy piece of banana bread with a little cream cheese.

What makes a cake dense instead of fluffy? ›

If a recipe includes a lot of acid such as lemon juice and buttermilk and isn't lifted with enough baking powder, the cake will taste dense. In that case, you may need the addition of baking soda which will react with the acid and create a fluffier crumb.

What makes a cake dense and not fluffy? ›

Your cake is too dense A cake that is overly dense typically has too much liquid, too much sugar or too little leavening (not excess flour, as is commonly thought).

What are Elvis cupcakes? ›

Banana cupcakes with fluffy peanut butter frosting topped with bits of bacon, “you can't help falling in love” with these Elvis Cupcakes!

Do hummingbird cupcakes need to be refrigerated? ›

To store hummingbird cupcakes, let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. For longer storage, individually wrap them and freeze for up to 2-3 months.

What is the oldest cupcake? ›

The earliest extant description of what is now often called a cupcake was in 1796, when a recipe for "a light cake to bake in small cups" was written in American Cookery by Amelia Simmons.

Why is it called wife cake? ›

Another story tells of a dim sum chef's wife creating a pastry with wintermelon paste influenced by a recipe from her mother's family. The new pastry was found to taste better than the dim sums that were being sold in teahouses, and the chef proudly told everyone it was made by his wife, hence it was named "Wife Cake".

What cake did the queen eat? ›

Queen Elizabeth's Favorite Cake: Chocolate Biscuit Cake - Chef Darren McGrady | The Royal Chef.

Why is hummingbird cake popular in the south? ›

Before it became a Southern classic, it was a celebration of Caribbean flavors, used by a tourism board to entice travelers to Jamaica.

What is Elvis Presley cake? ›

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

What's in a Robert Redford cake? ›

Whatever you want to call it, this cake involves chocolate and all kinds of other sweet indulgences that may help explain its name (with apologies, perhaps, to the actor Robert Redford). This is a popular, irresistible chocolate cake dessert with loads of chocolate, caramel topping, candy bars, and whipped topping.

Does cream cheese frosting need to be refrigerated? ›

Cream cheese frosting should always be stored in the refrigerator. Cream cheese is a perishable food, and per FoodSafety.gov, perishable foods should not sit in room temperatures for longer than two hours.

What can cause cakes to be too dense? ›

One of the first reasons why your cake may be too dense is if you use too much liquid, sugar, baking soda, or baking powder. Unlike cooking, baking is an exact science, and if you round up the measurement of your ingredients, you can add too much and get a dense cake.

What makes a cake more dense? ›

Add structure. On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.

What causes a cake to have a heavy texture? ›

If your cake is too dense or too heavy, you may need more leavening or liquid, or you may have used too much sugar or shortening. If your cake crust is too light, you may need more sugar. If your cake doesn't have good flavor, your formula may be unbalanced, or you may need to check the quality of your ingredients.

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