Recipe: Banana Pineapple Loaf / Cake (Martha Stewart)

I originally wanted to bake a Hummingbird cake, and found a recipe for it on Martha Stewart's website. However, I ended up making a less elaborate (healthier but still very delicious) banana pineapple loaf/cake using the abovementioned recipe, minus the frosting and a lot less sugar since I felt the bananas and pineapple offer enough sweetness to the loaf/cake. 

Noone really knows how this cake got its name... one theory says the Hummingbird cake earned its name because each otherworldly bite makes you hum with delight. Another theory is that this Southern layer cake is as sweet as the sugared water used to attract its hovering namesake.

Banana Pineapple Loaf/Cake

The original recipe calls for 2 cups (400g) of sugar but I cut it down to 150g. Despite cutting down the sugar, the cake texture was still fluffy with a nice crust. You can use either canned pineapple or fresh pineapples, which give a nice crunchy (tangy) bite to the cake. The addition of ripe bananas keeps the cake moist. If you cannot get your hands on pecan, you can substitute it with walnuts.

A healthier version of the Hummingbird cake

This banana pineapple loaf/cake is best enjoyed warm. This will be great as a teatime loaf/cake with a cup of coffee or tea. As usual Baby D helped me in the kitchen (mashing bananas, mixing) and the cake was ready by the time Baby C was home from school. Baby D ran excitedly with a slice of cake to greet his sister - how sweet :)

Banana Pineapple Loaf/Cake

Recipe by Baby Sumo, adapted from Martha Stewart
Preparation time: 20-25 minutes
Cooking time: 60-70 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients
For The Cake
Nonstick vegetable spray
All-purpose flour, for pans
3 cups self-raising flour
150g caster sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
2 very ripe large bananas, mashed
1 can crushed pineapple, with juice (approx 227g)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp salt

For The Frosting (I omitted this but use this if you want to frost the cake)
1 pound (1 box) confectioners' sugar
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk, or more if needed
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans


1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray or lightly grease and flour a 25x10cm loaf tin, tapping out excess flour; set aside. If frosting, spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.

2. Prepare the cake; in a large bowl, stir to combine sugar, oil, pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs. Add the wet ingredients to the sifted flour and baking powder.

3. Pour  batter into the prepared tin, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake for 65-70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

4. Transfer loaf to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert loaf onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.

5. For the frosting (if using): Prepare the frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk on medium speed until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve the proper spreading consistency.

6. To frost the cake: Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1/4 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1/4 of the frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Remove parchment paper strips; refrigerate until ready to serve.

********************************* 

I am submitting this to the "Cook Like Martha Stewart" bloghop which I am co-hosting with Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids and Jocelyn of Riceball Eats. To join, simply cook or bake any recipe from any Martha Stewart websites or cookbooks and blog hop with us for the whole month of December 2012.

Your post must be a current post i.e. posted in December 2012 - please do not link older posts.Please mention Cook like a Star in your post and link back to Zoe of Bake for Happy Kids, Jocelyn of Riceball Eats and Baby Sumo of Eat your heart out.

You can get the HTML code here: get the InLinkz code (Click on the link, copy and paste the HTML code into your blog post where you want the blog hop list to appear. Make sure you are in HTML mode when you paste in the code)

Happy cooking! Do check out the other bloggers recipe below: