35th Anniversary Hummingbird Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Cover a 20x14-in. serving board with gift wrap, taping wrap to the back of board. Cover wrapped board with clear cellophane in the same way; set aside. Line two greased and floured 13x9-in. baking pans with waxed paper; grease and flour the paper. , For the first cake layer, in a large bowl, cream 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, half of the cream cheese and 2-1/4 cups sugar. Add 6 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 3/4 teaspoon vanilla. Add 2-1/4 cups flour; mix well. Pour into one prepared pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat for second cake layer. , For frosting, in a large bowl, cream butter until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough milk to achieve desired consistency. , Using a serrated knife, level tops of cakes if necessary. Place one cake layer on covered board. Frost top with 1-1/2 cups frosting; spread raspberry filling to within 1/2 in. of edges. Top with remaining layer. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. , For fondant quilt, in a large bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, cream vegetable oil spread until light and fluffy. Beat in confectioners' sugar until crumbly. Gradually beat in corn syrup on low speed (mixture will be stiff)., On a work surface dusted with confectioners' sugar, roll out fondant into a 10-1/2-in. square; trim 1/4 in. from all sides with a fluted pastry wheel. Referring to Fig. 1, use the straight edge of a ruler to form a parallel line 1/4 in. from each fluted edge by gently pressing down to make shallow indentations. See Fig. 2. Score a parallel line 1 in. from the last line on each side. See Fig. 3., Referring to Fig. 4, use the ruler to form four 5-in. squares. Score a parallel line 1 in. from each side of the two intersecting lines in the center of the quilt. See Fig. 5. Make a diagonal square (about 1-3/4-in.)in the center of each larger square. See Fig. 6., Carefully position fondant quilt diagonally over cake, draping ends down the sides, as in Fig. 7. With food coloring and a clean paintbrush, paint quilt squares teal and burgundy; blot gently with paper towels. See Fig. 8. The finished fondant quilt top should look like Fig. 9. , For heart topper, in a microwave, melt white candy coating; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. On waxed paper, draw a 2-in. heart. Pipe candy coating along edge of heart; let dry. Spread remaining candy coating inside heart; smooth with a spatula and let dry. , Paint heart burgundy; blot gently with paper towels and let dry. Pipe candy coating along inside edges of heart; pipe "35" inside heart. Let dry. With a sharp knife, make a slit on inside corner of cake; insert heart topper.

Steps:

• Prepare the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease three (9-inch) cake pans with nonstick baking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. In a second large bowl, whisk together the eggs, mashed bananas, sugars, oil and vanilla.
• Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients to the center of the well. Gently fold using a rubber spatula to combine. Add the pineapple and pecans, and fold again until just incorporated.
• Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans. Bake until golden, cooked through and an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Move the cakes to a wire baking rack to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Then, remove from the pans and allow to cool completely on the wire racks
• As cakes cool, make the cream cheese frosting: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Mix on low speed until all the ingredients just come together. Then, increase the speed to medium and mix until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes.
• Assemble the cake: Place the first layer of the cake top-side down onto a cake stand or plate. Spread the top with cream cheese frosting. Repeat with the second two layers, always placing the top side down to create a very flat surface. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
• Place whole toasted pecan halves around the rim of the cake. Garnish with the dried pineapple and edible flowers, as desired. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray and flour three 8-by-2-inch round cake pans, tapping out excess flour; set aside.
• Prepare the cake; in a large bowl, stir to combine self-rising flour, sugar, oil, pecans, bananas, pineapple, vanilla, cinnamon, and eggs.
• Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until the tops spring back when gently pressed with your fingertips, 26 to 28 minutes.
• Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto wire rack. Re-invert cakes and let them cool completely, top sides up.
• Prepare the frosting; in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk on medium speed until frosting is smooth. If needed, add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to achieve the proper spreading consistency.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes to make level. Place four strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy Susan. Place the first layer on the cake plate. Spread the top of the first layer with 1/4 of the frosting. Place the second layer on top and repeat process with another 1/4 of the frosting. Place the remaining layer on top of the second layer bottom side up. Spread entire cake with remaining frosting. Sprinkle the top with pecans. Remove parchment paper strips; refrigerate until ready to serve.