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!

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!

4.64 from 19 votes

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Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Keyword: Banana Cake, Hummingbird Cake, Pineapple Cake, Vegan Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Cooling: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 servings (10 inch bundt cake)

Calories: 468kcal

Author: Bronwyn

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp 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 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups pecans, chopped, divided

For the Vanilla Glaze:

• 4 tbsp vegan butter (softened if using the stick kind)
• 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-4 tbsp 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 tbsp of the plant-based milk. Beat until all of the lumps are gone. If it’s too thick, add more plant-based milk a tbsp at a time until it reaches the desired thickness. Drizzle over the cooled bundt cake. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 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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