A cake worthy of serving at your next tea table. The Hummingbird is a banana and pineapple spice cake popular in the Southern US of A. It keeps well.

Ingredients

• 250 ml (1 C) butter
• 500 ml (2 C) sugar
• 15 ml (1 T) vanilla essence
• 4 large eggs
• 750 ml (3 C) cake flour
• 15 ml (1 T) bicarbonate of soda
• 5 ml (1 t) ground cinnamon
• 2.5 ml salt
• 65 ml buttermilk
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 x 227 g can Rhodes Quality Pineapple Crush in Light Syrup
• 250 ml (1 C) pecan nuts, chopped (optional)
• 80 g butter or white margarine
• 175 g tub plain cream cheese
• 500 ml (2 C) icing sugar, sifted

Method

1. Lightly grease and flour 3 cake pans and set aside.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together until fluffy.
3. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and salt and add to the butter mixture alternating with the buttermilk.
5. Add the mashed bananas, Rhodes Quality Pineapple Crush with the syrup and pecan nuts (if using) and mix well.
6. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans tapping each of the pans once to remove any air bubbles from the batter.
7. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or until a skewer, when inserted into the middle of the cake, comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pans.
9. Turn out and cool completely before icing.
10. To make the icing: cream the butter or margarine until pale and creamy.
11. Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.
12. Add the icing sugar, taking care not to overbeat, otherwise the icing will become too runny.
13. Sandwich the 3 cake layers together with some of the icing and spread the remaining icing evenly over the top of the cake.
14. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving and store any uneaten cake in the fridge.