Coconut Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird cake is the South’s answer to carrot cake, and the coconut version takes a cult-favorite Southern Living recipe and gives it tropical edge. Three layers of dense, moist banana cake studded with crushed pineapple, coconut, and chopped pecans, all bound together with tangy cream cheese frosting.

The oil-based batter is the key. Unlike butter cakes that firm up cold, oil keeps this one soft and bendable straight from the fridge, which is exactly what you want from a cake that gets better on day two and three.

Use seriously overripe bananas, the kind with brown speckled skins. The starches have turned to sugar and the flavor reads as banana, not green vegetable. Drain the crushed pineapple but reserve a tablespoon of juice to brush on the cooled layers before frosting if they feel dry.

Don’t overmix once the wet hits the dry. This is a stir-together batter, not a creamed cake. Stop when the flour disappears.

Chef Tips

• Toast the coconut and nuts before folding in. The flavor goes from afterthought to headline.
• Pecans are traditional, but walnuts work in a pinch.
• Cool layers completely before frosting. Warm cake melts cream cheese frosting into a sad slick.
• Refrigerate the assembled cake for an hour to firm everything up before slicing for clean layers.

Variations

• Press toasted coconut flakes onto the sides of the frosted cake for a snowy, retro look.
• Add a teaspoon of rum extract to the frosting for a piña colada lean.
• Swap half the oil for melted coconut oil to push the coconut flavor harder.