Hummingbird Cake

Cake

• 120 g Pecan nuts, raw
• 300 g Plain flour
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 250 g Light brown sugar
• 3 Egg, large
• 180 ml Sunflower oil
• 3 Banana, very ripe
• 250 g Pineapple, crushed
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

Cream cheese icing

• 300 g Cream cheese, full-fat
• 220 g Icing sugar

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (345°F). Grease two cake tins and set aside.
2. Spread the pecans on a tray and toast for 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant. Tip onto a plate to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon. Whisk in the light brown sugar, breaking up any lumps.
4. In a second bowl, whisk the eggs with the sunflower oil and vanilla. Mash the bananas, then stir them into the egg mixture along with the crushed pineapple.
5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold just until no dry flour remains. Roughly chop the toasted pecans and fold them through.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the tins and level the tops. Bake for 28 to 35 minutes, until the cakes are risen and a skewer comes out clean.
7. Cool the cakes in the tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack to cool completely. If the cakes are even slightly warm, the icing will soften and slide.
8. For the icing, beat the cream cheese until smooth, then sift in the icing sugar and beat until thick and spreadable. Sandwich the cakes with about a third of the icing, then spread the rest over the top and sides.
9. Slice and serve straight away, or chill for 20 minutes for cleaner slices. Let the cake sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving if it has been chilled for longer.

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