A light and summery cake with a cream cheese topping. Just put the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another, then stir them all together and bake. You could say it’s a Hummingbird sheet cake. It tastes a bit like a carrot cake with a tropical twist!
THIS CAKE!!
There’s no shortage of banana cakes around here. In fact there’s quite the variety, from a peanut butter, banana and chocolate chip cake or mini air fryer banana bread for afternoon tea to healthy brownies with avocado and even a banana mug cake for two.
But this has to be my favourite (perhaps along with the pb, banana and choc chip cake!).
You could say this is a rather summery cake. But it goes down well any time of year and for any occasion.
Why I love it and you will too
I do love the ‘tropical theme’ going on with this cake. I also love:
- It’s light without being dry (you can thank the oil and pineapple juice in it for that).
- The flavours are all distinctly there but without being overpowering.
- There’s a thick (it’s got to be thick!) layer of cream cheese frosting on the top. It tricks your mind into thinking you’re eating a carrot cake. And everyone loves carrot cake, right?
- There’s a hint of spice in the cake batter – a bit of cinnamon, and a bit of ground ginger. Such a lovely compliment to all those tropical flavours.
- It isn’t too naughty. While I wouldn’t exactly go as far as to say it’s ‘healthy’, there’s only three quarters of a cup of sugar in the whole cake. I use half olive oil and half vegetable oil instead of butter. I also use half wholemeal flour instead of all white (this works well, giving the cake a slightly nuttier flavour).
- It’s quite tall. So it’s a great cake for feeding a small crowd!
Not too bad at all!
About the ingredients
- This cake contains oil and not butter, which always means it’s easier to make as there’s no creaming of butter and sugar.
- I like to use a mixture of white flour and wholemeal. This not only makes for a healthier cake, it gives it a slightly nutty texture, too.
- Use light or dark brown sugar. But only 3/4 cup, so not the naughtiest cake in the world!
- The ‘magic’ of this cake is in the 2 whole bananas, the half cup of coconut and the whole can of pineapple in juice. Yum!
- A teaspoon of cinnamon and a teapsoon of ginger give the cake a nice warming hint of spice.
How to make it
This is a very easy cake to make. It tastes like a much more complicated cake.
All you do is mix up the dry ingredients, mix up the wet ingredients, then stir the two together.
Bake for barely half an hour, then let cool completely before adding the icing.
How to make the cream cheese icing
You need just 2 ingredients for this: cream cheese and icing sugar (2 whole cups of it!).
Sprinkle crushed walnuts or another kind of nut over the top if you like.
How to serve it
A banana sheet cake like this is a pretty good cake for a small crowd. You can easily cut it into around 16 squares as it’s pretty tall.
It would be perfect for any kind of occasion: a baby shower, a summer BBQ, a birthday party (just add candles!), a pot luck, and many more.
More easy snack cake recipes
- Addictive peanut butter cheerio bars
- Lemon bakewell slices (a slice of English tradition!)
- Sticky apple ginger cake bars (divine!)
- No bowl chocolate pecan bars
- Banana sheet cake with peanut butter fudge frosting
- Rhubarb and ginger oat slices (healthy flapjacks!)
- Or see all of my cakes!
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Coconut and pineapple banana cake (Hummingbird cake)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
For the cake
- 2 cups plain flour I used 1 cup wholemeal, 1 cup white
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup dessicated or flaked coconut
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 small to medium ripe bananas mashed
- 2 large eggs whisked
- ¾ cup dark or light brown sugar
- ½ cup oil I used half light olive oil and half rape seed oil, but any is fine
- 8 ounces pineapple with juice, (1 can) pineapple chopped into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
For the frosting
- 4½ ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups icing / powdered sugar
- ½ cup crushed walnuts to decorate optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 355F and line a 8 – 9 inch square (or equivalent) baking pan with baking paper.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, coconut, and salt in a large bowl.
- Mash the banana in another large bowl, then whisk in the eggs, sugar, oil, pineapple and juice, cinnamon and ginger.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until just combined (take care not to overmix).
- Pour into the baking pan, then bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out more or less clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Beat the cream cheese with a hand-held whisk, then slowly whisk in the icing / powdered sugar until you have a thick frosting. Pile on top of the cake (nice and thick!) when the cake is completely cool.
Laura Kahn says
I read the recipe three times to see if I did something wrong, but I didn’t. And the cake is very blah. No deliciousness just surprisingly plain and a little dry.
Helen says
Sorry to hear this, Laura! This cake usually gets great reviews so it just might not be for you. You could try again and bake for a little less time since every oven is different. Otherwise, thanks for the feedback all the same 🙂
Jo in MI says
Thumbs up recipe that I used as the base to use up some fresh cut pineapple, mango and plantain bananas I had that need to be used. The later 2 fruits were on the overripe side.
I figured since others mentioned using various other produce items (ie. Carrots, apples, zucchini, etc.), why not! I did measure out the amount of fruits to reflect the amounts listed in the recipe. and added the walnuts into the batter, like my favorite carrot cake-like cakes have in them. Followed the remained of the recipe as written.
With being empty nesters, I’ve gone to baking in cupcake size. Easier to serve and I freeze the majority for later, 15 minute thaw and serve for ourselves or guests.
I used my trusted and favorite cream cheese frosting recipe that reduces the overly sugary taste and texture. The couple added ingredients are butter and vanilla. I use a 4 to 1 ratio of cream cheese to butter so to the 4 oz. of cream cheese I added 1 oz. of softened butter plus half teaspoon of vanilla. The added butter required about half cup more confectioners sugar.
It made 18 nice sized cupcakes that were baked for 20 minutes.
Very yummy and I’m calling the cupcakes, “Tropical Island Cupcakes”
Blessings to all!
Helen says
Hello and thank you so much for the detailed feedback! I love that you’ve already made this recipe your own. You sound like an experienced baker who knows exactly what they’re doing, but I think you did a great job here! I tend to go for lower sugar these days whenever I can, so I like the sound of your cream cheese frosting. Tropical island cupcakes is a perfect name for these! Blessings to you too, and I hope you have a great weekend.
Jo in MI says
Thank you Helen, I do enjoy time in the kitchen cooking and baking.
I neglected to mention that I did reduce the sugar to half a cup.
I figured with all the sweet fruits in the recipe and frosting, reducing the sugar wouldn’t be noticed and it wasn’t… they tasted just as I’d hoped.
Helen says
That’s so helpful to know, Jo – these days I add as little sugar to my recipes as I can get away with. This recipe is one of my older ones but it’s really useful to hear that reducing the sugar works well. Thank you!
Sanita says
Wow! Cake was delicious. So easy to make, from mixing to baking. Thank you so much💗
Helen says
Hello Sanita! Yes, it’s a good one, isn’t it? One of my favourite cakes, especially as summer approaches. So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Rachelle Paquette says
Absolutely amazing recipe – thanks for sharing! Much less sugar than the majority of Hummingbird cake recipes, and still plenty, especially with the frosting. Saved to my Favorites.
Helen says
Hi Rachelle! I”m so glad you enjoyed it! These days I always try to use the least amount of refined sugar possible in my cakes. You’re right – this doesn’t need more with the sweet frosting. Thank you so much for the feedback! In fact, you’ve made me want to make this again myself soon 😉
Quentin says
Liked the cake a lot. The cream cheese base icing works very well with the cake. It is a big cake so split the butter into 2 cake pans and sill baked it for 35 min.
If u exchainge the benana with a finly grated carrot u can make a delicious carrot cake.
Helen says
Hello Quentin! Thanks for the feedback. You’re right it’s a big cake – great for feeding a crowd, or as you say splitting into two. Good to know the cook time was the same. I love your idea of making this into a carrot cake. Actually I think finely grated zucchini and/or apple would work too. You’re making me want to do some experimenting now!
Melisse says
That’s a big cake. Setting the timer for an hour. No way will it be cooked in 1/2 hour. Got it in an 8″ tin.
Helen says
Hi Melisse! How did it turn out? My cake is always cooked within 35 minutes 😉
Antonia says
Hi
I made this cake yesterday for the first time and because I havej a fan oven I cooked it at 20c less as the advert says only 180c and that’s for a normal oven but I ended up throwing the cake away as it was soggy in the middle
Helen says
Thanks for the feedback! Yes, definitely cook at the stated temperature, not lower. I’ll add a note to the recipe! 🙂
Steven says
Super yum! Love the tropical flair. My daughters are in love with anything pink right now (2 and 4 years old) so I added a strawberry purée reduction to the batter. Made the cake a great pink color and the flavor went really well with the banana. Also, didn’t have any coconut on hand so I used coconut oil and though it wasn’t pronounced at least some of the coconut flavor was in the cake. Did a whipped buttercream frosting made with coconut milk to compensate and wow, the flavors were spot on. Can’t wait to experiment with this one…next time trying a mango/papaya purée in the frosting for a super tropical extravaganza. Thanks!
Helen says
Hi Steven, thank you so much for your detailed review and rating. I love that you experimented by adding strawberry puree – it’s really helpful to hear that it worked. I bet mango would go brilliantly.
Dai says
This cake is amazing!!!
I made just a few adjustments, but I loved it!!!!
I added a bit more of sugar, the juice of half a lemon and I made a lemon, ginger and sugar glaze for the top.
thanks =)
Helen says
Hi Dai! Oh yes, this cake is a winner, isn’t it? I love it too. I love that you made a yummy glaze for it. I bet it was even more heavenly than it is anyway! Thanks so much for reporting back!
Sadie says
It’s in the oven now, really excited to try it! I went a bit rogue adding chopped hazelnuts and a bit of nutmeg as I had no ground ginger. Wish me luck 🙂
Helen says
Ooh you devil, you! I think the nutmeg will go great. Hope it turned out well! 🙂
Jess says
Is this cake still sweet? Could I reduce the sugar further? I don’t have a very sweet tooth
Helen says
Hi Jess! It is sweet but not overly so. You could definitely go ahead and reduce the sugar a bit more. I haven’t tried it with even less sugar but I think the recipe would still work out fine and the cake would still taste delicious.
Pop back and let me know how you get on if you remember!