Autumn meets tropical in this sensational Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake. This cake is tall and substantial, thickly laden with rich, tangy cream cheese frosting, and bursting with a tapestry of irresistible ingredients and flavors, least of all pumpkin and spice, but also including toasted pecans, pineapple, and coconut. This Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake is an instant fall classic!
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This Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake is my favorite recipe of the season so far. Eek… it’s so hard to say that. I don’t want to have to choose at all, but I want you to know how excellent this cake is. Therefore, I’m ranking it for you, and it is decidedly my #1 so far.
Not to be too outshined, this Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream is my second favorite. It’s sensational and I’m sooo proud of it, and I absolutely love it as well. And this Pumpkin Zucchini Bread was a complete delight too. Gah.
But if you forced me to pick, this Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake is my favorite, most standout recipe in this fall’s lineup so far.
What is a traditional Hummingbird Cake, you might ask? It’s typically a banana and pineapple cake, tinged with spices, checkered with pecans, sometimes coconut is included, and topped with nothing but the best: cream cheese frosting!
Since it’s fall and everything must be pumpkin-ified, the banana is completely replaced with pumpkin in this Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake.
You won’t miss the banana, I promise. Although, a perfect Banana Cake is a thing of wonder too, so I understand if you’re craving that kind of dessert.
It’s fall though, so all things must be madeover to include pumpkin. Or apple. Or both. That’s just the way it has to be! I felt that this kind of cake was begging to include pumpkin.
There’s so much to love here with that amazing laundry list of excellent ingredients… pineapple, pecans, coconut… so many good things in one cake. Pumpkin feels like a natural fit, right?
As strong as each ingredient is on their own, they’re even better together! They all join forces with pumpkin to be the most delightful, delicious cake that is totally crammed with flavor in each bite. Moist, sweet, hearty, but soft and tender, and packed with flavor.
Surprisingly, the best bites of this Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake will contain a chunk of pineapple among the pecans and coconut. YES. The pairing of pumpkin and pineapple needs to happen in more recipes, I’ve decided. The bright, sweet but tangy citrus is an incredible complement to pumpkin. Who knew?
I’m sitting here dreaming of those pineapple-dotted bites. Heaven.
Also important: cream cheese frosting. And lots of it. Sweet, creamy, tangy cream cheese frosting. Light and creamy, not stiff or weighty, and strong on cream cheese. What’s better?
Especially with pumpkin. Pumpkin with cream cheese is epically awesome. Pumpkin Cheesecake comes to mind. And these Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting.
I am deeming this recipe “instant classic”-status. Try it, and tell me if you feel the same. It’s extrordinarily rare to label something an instant classic in my world. The only other time I can remember doing it is with these Amish Sugar Cookies, but I feel that strongly about this Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake!
For other pumpkin cake-type recipes, check out this Pumpkin Apple Upside Down Cake, these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Nutella Buttercream — omg, this Pumpkin Gingerbread Crumb Coffee Cake, which is actually breakfast, obviously, and this Pumpkin Butterscotch Spice Cake Trifle. All are popular options.
My Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake is loosely adapted from BHG’s Hummingbird Cake.
Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
For Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake:
- 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
- 8 oz. can crushed pineapple with juice, NOT drained
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 cups shredded coconut divided
- 2 cups chopped pecans divided
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 2 - 3 tbsp. heavy cream
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For Pumpkin Hummingbird Cake:
- In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, crushed pineapple and juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- In another large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in 1 cup shredded coconut and 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans.
- Lightly grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until edges are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven, and cool cake in pan on a wire rack, but leave the oven on (to toast the garnishes).
- While oven is still hot, spread remaining 1/2 cup shredded coconut and remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans on a small baking sheet.
- Bake for 1-2 minutes, stir, and bake for another 1-2 minutes, or until they're toasted, golden, and fragrant. Watch closely because they can burn rather quickly -- toasting only takes a few minutes total.
- Set aside to cool completely.
- Prepare cream cheese frosting.
For Cream Cheese Frosting:
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth and creamy.
- Beat in 2 tbsp. heavy cream and the vanilla extract.
- Gradually add 4 cups powdered sugar, beating until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Beat in additional powdered sugar or heavy cream, as needed, to achieve desired consistency. Frosting should be creamy and easy to spread, not stiff like a buttercream frosting, but a little looser.
- Frost cake. Garnish with toasted coconut and toasted pecans.
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