Hummingbird cake
Packed full of fruit, this impressive three-tiered cake would make an indulgent birthday cake.
Ingredients
For the cake
- 250g/8¾oz plain flour
- 250g/8¾oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 free-range eggs, beaten
- 200ml/7fl oz sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
- 50g/1¾oz pecan nuts, roughly chopped
- 50g/1¾oz walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 large mango, peeled, stoned removed, flesh mashed
- 2 passion fruit, pulp only
- 85g/3oz tinned pineapple, mashed
- 1 orange, zest only
For the cream cheese icing
- 200g/7oz full-fat soft cheese
- 50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, softened
- 1 orange, zest only
- 400g/14oz icing sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Grease and line three 20cm/8in cake tins.
Sift the flour, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl.
Stir in the eggs, sunflower oil, nuts, fruit and orange zest until well combined.
Divide the cake batter among the three cake tins and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until risen and golden-brown.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Run a round-bladed knife around the inside edge of the tins to loosen the cakes. Remove the cakes from their tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, for the cream cheese icing, blend the cheese and butter together with an electric whisk until thick and creamy. Add the orange zest and sift in the icing sugar. Stir gently until well combined, then chill in the fridge until needed.
Once the cakes are cool, spread cream cheese icing on top of each cake. Stack the cakes to make one three-tiered cake.
