A classic cake going back to the 1970's, there's no wonder why the Hummingbird cake is still so popular. It's perfectly sweet, filled with bananas, pineapple, pecans and hints of cinnamon. You won't miss the eggs in this one though. We get our leavening and structure easily with some vegan sorcery! Okay, it's just some simple chemistry but I promise you won't be able to tell this cake from a non-vegan one!
This recipe is for a bundt pan so we don't need to spend time leveling layers and getting the frosting smooth. I love making layer cakes, but sometimes a simple cake is just what I need! The glaze is very easy to make as well. A dessert that is very pretty but is pretty minimal in terms of active time in the kitchen is always my favorite kind! I went with vanilla glaze as I wanted the flavors of the cake to really shine.
Tips for a Perfect Hummingbird Cake:
- Double check the size of your pan - this recipe makes a 12-cup (10-inch) bundt cake. You can double-check the capacity of your bundt pan by measuring the volume of water it holds. For a smaller bundt pan (commonly a 6-cup volume), you'll need to half this recipe and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Don't reduce the amount of sugar or the oil - these are both very important for the structure and texture of the cake. Reducing them or substituting with other ingredients will effect the quality and moist character of the cake.
- Prepare your pan really well to avoid a disappointing situation where the cake sticks to the pan or even tears. For this cake, I spray a vegetable or canola oil all over the inside of the bundt pan. If you don't have vegetable oil spray, you can grease the pan with shortening, being sure to get into all of the nooks and crannies. Don't use margarine/vegan butter, it can sometimes cause more sticking! I also do this just before I add the batter unlike with most other cake recipes where I prepare the pans when I preheat the oven. In the time you mix the batter, the oil can slide down the sides of the deep pan.
- For the pineapple, I used crushed. I like how the flavor of the pineapple is nicely dispersed throughout the cake this way, and there's no big chunks. Larger pieces of juicy pineapple can lead to soggy bits in the cake crumb, so crushed is the way to go. And speaking of juice, a lot of hummingbird cake recipes call for draining the juice, but I added it to the batter. It adds flavor, moisture, and acidity which helps with leavening and a tender crumb.
- Once the cake is baked, gently slide a thin spatula along the sides of the cake and around the tube to loosen the cake. Let it cool for 10 minutes. Place a cooling rack over the cake and, in one gentle motion, turn the cake over so it's resting on the cooling rack. If the cake doesn't fall down on it's own right away, just give it a few minutes. If after 5 minutes, it's still not down, gently lift the cake pan up a bit and give it a gentle wiggle, side to side and it should come out perfectly.
- Let the cake cool completely to room temperature before adding the glaze, or your glaze may melt and not set up on the cake properly. For a quick-setting glaze, chill your cake first and then add the glaze.
- If you have a nut allergy or simply don't like them, you can omit the pecans in this recipe.
If you make this Vegan Hummingbird Cake with Vanilla Glaze, be sure to let me know in the comments below and give it a rating in the recipe card! Also, I love connecting on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes. Thank you for reading along!
Vegan Hummingbird Bundt Cake with Vanilla Glaze
A classic cake going back to the 1970's, there's no wonder why the Hummingbird cake is still so popular. It's perfectly sweet, filled with bananas, pineapple, pecans and hints of cinnamon. You won't miss the eggs in this one though. We get our leavening and structure easily with some vegan sorcery! Okay, it's just some simple chemistry but I promise you won't be able to tell this cake from a non-vegan one!
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Servings: 16 servings (10 inch bundt cake)
Calories: 468kcal
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (approximately 3-4 bananas)
- 398 ml crushed pineapple, canned, not drained
- ¾ cup neutral oil (e.g. canola, avocado, etc)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups pecans, chopped, divided
For the Vanilla Glaze:
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter (softened if using the stick kind)
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoon plant-based milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place pecans on a baking tray in a single layer. Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 5-7 minutes (tossing once) or until fragrant. They burn easily so keep an eye on them.
- In a large bowl, sift the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk in one cup of the chopped pecans. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, oil, and vanilla extract. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the mashed banana, crushed pineapple, oil, and vanilla. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring together just until combined.
- Spray the inside of a 12-cup bundt pan with oil. Add the batter to the baking pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few cooked crumbs. Let the cake cool completely.
For the Glaze:
- In a medium-sized bowl, beat the vegan butter until creamy. Add the confectioner's sugar a half cup at a time until incorporated. Add in the vanilla and 2 tablespoon of the plant-based milk. Beat until all of the lumps are gone. If it's too thick, add more plant-based milk a tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired thickness. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cake. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of chopped pecans, if desired.
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 468kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 253mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 5.2mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1.6mg
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Michele says
Hi Bronwyn – The cake looks really amazing, I can’t wait to make it!
Can the cake be made ahead, and how many days before serving?
Also, can the cake be made and frozen?
thanks very much! 🙂
Bronwyn Fraser | Crumbs & Caramel says
Hi Michele!
Yes, you can make this cake ahead but as it ages, it will dry out (like any cake.) I would make it at most a day ahead if not freezing it. It'll still be good for about 5 days, but it won't be as moist.
If you freeze it, as long as it is well wrapped to avoid freezer odors, freezer burn, and drying out, it should be good for about 3 months. If you'd like to ensure it isn't squished when you're wrapping it - chill or freeze for a couple of hours unwrapped and then wrap it and freeze it. I wrap my cakes in cling wrap and then aluminum to help retain the moisture. And for aesthetics, I would wait to drizzle it with the glaze once you've defrosted it, otherwise the glaze will be messier looking from being wrapped up.
Hope that helps! 🙂 Let me know if you have any other questions!
~Bronwyn
Christa says
This was a delicious and very moist cake. I used fresh pineapple because the store was out of crushed pineapple. I ended up not putting any of the vanilla glaze on the cake. It really didn’t need the glaze because it was tasty without it. I will make this again!
Crumbs & Caramel says
Thanks so much for taking the time to share, Christa! I'm going to have to try using fresh pineapple next time, too. I'm so happy you enjoyed the cake! ~ Bronwyn
Christy says
I can not wait to make this!! Do these measurements work with cupcakes?
Crumbs & Caramel says
Hi Christy! Yes, this cake batter works great for cupcakes! Some tips: for flatter tops, set the oven at 325°F instead of 350°F. This cake recipe will yield roughly 3 dozen cupcakes. If you'd like to make fewer than that, use the adjuster for 'Servings:' at the top of the recipe card to bring it down as needed. For a dozen cupcakes, set the 'Servings' to 7 (it will still yield 12 cupcake bases which is less cake per serving than what you'd get in a serving of triple layer cake.) Fill the cupcake liners roughly 2/3 full - if you fill them to the top, they will overflow and not have tidy, flat edges. If you have any other questions, please let me know. Hope you enjoy the recipe!~ Bronwyn
Aubrey says
This was AMAZING. I love hummingbird cake and this recipe is perfection. I halved it and the yield was exactly what was needed to fill my 6 cup bundlet pan. Thank you for another winner!
Crumbs & Caramel says
Thanks so much for the lovely feedback, Aubrey! So happy you enjoyed the cake 🙂 ~ Bronwyn
M.L.Ansted says
This is an overdue comment but I wanted to let you know this is wonderfuI!! I made it for my
Vegan 42 year old son and his family who are mostly vegetarians and friends who are neither. This was a resounding A++ by everyone. This will be a Christmas staple from now on! Do you have a cookbook?
Crumbs & Caramel says
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback! I'm so happy to hear that the cake was enjoyed by you and your family. Thanks also for asking about a cookbook! I'm currently working on my manuscript - the book is set to release in Spring 2021 🙂 I'll be sending out an email to my subscribers and linking it here on the blog once it's reading for pre-sale. Thanks again, Bronwyn 🙂
Megan Renee says
this looks absolutely scrumptious! I will definitely be adding this to my “to bake” list!
Crumbs & Caramel says
Thank you! Let me know if you have any questions, I hope you love it! ~ Bronwyn
Emily James says
Absolutely loved this recipe, and it was a huge hit at work! Has anyone substituted GF flour though? I am making this for a dinner party and we have some that are gluten sensitive. Thank you!
Crumbs & Caramel says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Emily! I'm so happy you and your workmates enjoyed it! As for your gluten-free question, I haven't tried this particular recipe gluten-free but have heard great things about using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free flour to make any recipe GF. It contains xanthan gum already which is nice if you don't have that in your pantry (otherwise you're buying GF flour and xanthan gum separately.) The 1:1 flour is just as it sounds, you replace the flour in the recipe for the GF blend. If you try it out, I'd love to hear how it goes! Thanks again!