Hummingbird Legend Cake
A Victorian cake recipe that is truly exceptional. The perfect cake to bring to meetings … it’s easy, it freezes well, it works for many.
“Impress your friends with this hummingbird cake, a recipe that has been passed down through the generations. If desired, crush additional walnuts and press them into the sides of the frosting, and place sliced maraschino cherries on top of the cake for the” guild of the world. ” lily “”.
There are many versions of this cake.
Hummingbird cake history
Southern Living magazine is generally credited with the first reference to Hummingbird Cake. She published the recipe in her February 1978 issue, submitted by Ms. LH Wiggins of Greensboro, North Carolina, but Ms. Wiggins did not include an explanation of the cake’s unusual name, which remains a mystery, however, according to Folklore, the hummingbird is a symbol of sweetness.
Hummingbirds are known to be attracted to intensely sweet sources, they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat; they reject types of flowers that produce nectar with less than 12% sugar and prefer those with a sugar content of around 25%.
the most sought after recipe, the perfect cake to take to social gatherings, it is easy, it freezes well, it is useful for many. There have been other versions of the recipe since the 1978 version, such as a lighter version, an organic version, but not a low carb version to date that I know of. Of course, any recipe can substitute for some of the ingredients. If you really want to impress your friends and family, imagine a hummingbird cake for your wedding.
It is a southern delicacy that gives you the essence of the tropics with its bananas and crushed pineapple. Restaurants from the east coast to the west coast have prepared this delicious cake for their southern transplant clients. The cake has won many awards, The Kentucky Derby Cook Book[Kentucky Derby Museum:Louisville KY, 1986] contains a recipe for hummingbird cake on p. 204. A note printed in this book reads “Hummingbird Cake. Helen Wiser’s recipe won Favorite Cake award at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair.”
In 1978, the cooks baked the cake when they had overcooked the bananas. It was the perfect way to use the bananas. The recipe and the cake have many names. Never Ending Cake is the name given by Pauline Isley. A Benton respondent provided Jamaican Cake, a title that might not be too far off considering the ingredients. Ella Sheets knows it as Granney’s Best Cake. Nothing Left Cake is the name provided by Patricia H. Downes of Jacksonville, who, with her 8 and 11 year old children, prefers it without frosting.
More than 75 copies of the recipe have been received, most of them identical. Variations _ notably in mixing directions, oil metering, and additional fruit _ are incorporated into the recipe that follows. Cake that won’t last. “— Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR), April 3, 1985
Ms. Wiggins Recipe [1978]
“Nightingale Cake
3 cups of pupose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups salad oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts, divided
2 cups bananas, chopped
Cream cheese frosting (follow recipe)
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl; Add the eggs and salad oil, stirring until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not beat. Add the vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup of chopped walnuts, and bananas. Place batter in 3 9-inch cake pans, well greased and floured. Bake at 350 degrees F. For 25 to 30 minutes; Remove from the molds and cool immediately. Spread the frosting between the layers and on the top and sides of the cake. Sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Yield: one 9-inch layer cake.
Glazed cream cheese
2 packages (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 packages (16 ounces) caster sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Combine cream cheese and butter; cream until smooth. Add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla. Yield: enough for a 3-layer cake – Mrs. LH Wiggins, Greesnboro, North Carolina “
— “Making the most of bananas”, Southern Living, February 1978 (p. 206)
The Kentucky Derby Cookbook [Kentucky Derby Museum:Louisville KY, 1986] contains a recipe for hummingbird cake on p. 204. A note printed in this book reads “Hummingbird Cake. Helen Wiser’s recipe won Favorite Cake award at the 1978 Kentucky State Fair.”