Hummingbird Cupcake Cake

Another recipe--"So soon?", you might ask.  My life has been quite crazy lately.  My next "to-done" (ha, past tense of to-do) is the t-shirt quilt.  To tide me over for a day or two until I can actually get it completed, I'm sharing this cake recipe. 

Healthy Chick's birthday was this past week and to celebrate, she requested either carrot or hummingbird cake.  If I have a choice I will almost always choose hummingbird!  Now, I know this recipe is a southern classic, but I first tried it when my SIL and her family visited us from out of town a few years ago (Hi, Shari!).  Who knows, what makes me think of these things, I just decided I needed to find this recipe and make it.  It is the best cake batter I have ever put together.   I could skip the baking and eat the batter (almost).  For Darling SIL, I'm sure I skipped adding the pecans.

Hummingbird Cake*

(printable)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 2 cups chopped firm ripe banana

 Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 pounds confectioners' sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350°. Sift flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon together into mixing bowl several times. Add eggs and salad oil to the dry ingredients. Stir with a wooden spoon until ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple and 1 cup pecans. Stir in the bananas. Spoon the batter into 3 well-greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes,or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:
Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.
Frost the tops of all 3 layers, stack and then frost sides. Sprinkle top evenly with the 1/2 to 1 cup chopped pecans.

I'm sure you astute readers noticed my post title is Cupcake Cake.  This is what I do:  Bake in cupcake tins (it makes 2 dozen).  After they are cool arrange so they are close together on a tray (I generally put foil over a cookie sheet.)  Then slather the frosting over the entire batch as if it were one cake--you know--a holdover from a couple of years ago when cupcake cakes were all the rage.  Note:  If you do it this way you can halve the frosting recipe and have just the right amount.

This is a wonderful recipe and and a crowd pleaser (if everyone likes the added ingredients), especially if you like a bit of extra frosting.
*From About.com