It has been a while since we posted. Life has been busy in 2019: new jobs, moving, looking for a house, negotiating business logistics and preparing for a baby...We have had pepper orders since the beginning of the new year and we appreciate the patience of our customers since about half of our supplies are still in storage.
Since we are getting temporarily settled it is time to resume business as usual. I've been itching to make a treat to bring into work. Since making Adam's birthday cake, I wanted to make another cake and tinker with the flavors. Enter the Hummingbird Bundt cake.
I have not heard of this southern cake before, but it sounded delicious. The recipe was first submitted to Southern Living in the 1970s and has been quite popular with its spiced pineapple and banana flavors. Honestly it was the cream cheese frosting that sold me. I had to try it.
Sunday night, I made time to get this cake together. The ingredients were quite simple and the best part was mashing the banana and pineapple by hand (could have used a blender, but where is the fun in that?) I decided to try a spicier blend of hot pepper flakes to add to the batter. Peaches N Cream. I added 3 shakes to the batter, figuring it would enhance the flavor of the cake but not enough to scare people away.
After I popped that in the oven I started working on the frosting. This part I did use the blender for, just seemed so easy! I doubled the amount of cream cheese and added Peaches N Cream to that as well. I did add a bit more than I did to the cake batter, I was convinced that the cream cheese would help cut any excess heat and keep the unique pepper flavors. I planned to apply the frosting at work and carry the cake separately as it still had to cool overnight.
I was glad to get this done in time for work on Monday. The cake was half gone by 10:30 am! Hopefully this was a good experience for my new coworkers and introduced them to a different way to cook with hot peppers.
Hummingbird Bundt Cake (my own technique)
CAKE BATTER
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans (no nuts added for those who might have allergies)
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I always add more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, beaten
1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 4 large)
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple (do not drain)
3/4 cup canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I eyeballed it)
GLAZE
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened (doubled the amount 'cause I love cream cheese!)
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (added enough to desired consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (eyeballed it)
1-2 tablespoons milk (approximate)
Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 2 hours).
Enjoy trying this cake and Stay Spicy!