Southern · dessert
Hummingbird Cake
Hummingbird Cake reads sweetness 7.5, fruity 6.1 and richness 5.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Southern dessert, about 40 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 3.5 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 9.3 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 3.3 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 6.4 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 3.1 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Sweetness 7.5 · Fruity 6.1 · Richness 5.3 · Nutty 3.9 · Salinity 3.2 · Floral 3.0 · Citrus 2.6 · Sourness 2.2 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Umami 1.6 · Earthy 1.4 · Funk & Ferment 0.9 · Bitterness 0.6 · Herbaceous 0.5
What's in it (14)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
- 2 cups ripe bananas, mashed (about 3 bananas)
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Time & effort: about 40 min (15 min active) · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 331.9 kcal, 2.7 g protein, 13.3 g fat, 52.3 g carbs
Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (3 steps)
- Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then stir in eggs, oil, vanilla, pineapple, mashed banana, and pecans to form a thick batter.
- Divide between three greased cake pans and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting and garnishing with pecan halves.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Mango Sticky Rice (Khao Niao Mamuang) — Thai
- Sweet Potato Pudding (Hell a Top, Hell a Bottom) — Jamaican
- Szilvás Gombóc (Plum Dumplings) — Hungarian
- Ghapama (Pumpkin Baked with Rice and Dried Fruit) — Armenian
- Seffa (Sweet Couscous with Butter and Cinnamon) — Moroccan
Keep reading: what sweetness, fruity, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.