Eat the cake Anna Mae!...lol

While it’s enjoyed all over the world, cake is heartily embraced by Southerners who, of course, have added unique and delicious twists to the historical glory of the sweet treat. Old-fashioned Southern cakes have become a part of the American canon of cake baking. Southern cakes are often traditional cakes that have been enjoyed by Southerners for generations. Many cake recipes are passed down from one generation to the next and are made using ingredients that are traditionally considered Southern.

Cakes give me particular pleasure, with the glorious mess of flour and sugar, and the mystery of turning a jumble of single ingredients into a smooth, luscious batter which emerges from the oven as a third entity: The sweet, delicious, inviting incarnation of a homemade cake.

Cake boasts a long lineage stretching back to the ancient Egyptians – the first civilization to show any skill in baking, sweetening much of its bread with honey. The actual word “cake,” however, is traced back to Viking origins. The Norse word “kaka” means a baked flour confection sweetened with sugar or honey, mixed with eggs and often, but not always, with milk and fat.

The histories of cake, bread, biscuits and buns are indistinct. The beginnings of all would be bread in its simplest form. As techniques for baking and leavening developed and eating patterns changed, what were originally regarded as forms of bread came to be seen as categories of their own and named accordingly. 

During the 19th century, technology made the cake baker's life much easier. The chemical raising agent bicarbonate of soda, introduced in the 1840s, followed by baking powder (a dry mixture of bicarbonate of soda with a mild acid such as cream of tartar ), replaced yeast, providing a greater leavening effect with less effort. Another helpful breakthrough was the development of ovens with more accurate temperature control.

Cake sustains a celebratory reputation. They are a must-have at birthdays, weddings, graduations and wakes. There’s no need to wait for those occasions, though, to enjoy one of these special Southern cakes: coconut cake, Mississippi mud cake, red velvet cake, hummingbird cake, brown sugar pound cake, southern dump cake, southern caramel cake, and the list goes on and on. The cake that I am choosing to showcase today is the humming bird cake. This stems from a friend of mine requesting me to make her this cake specifically for the Christmas holiday.

Naming the Hummingbird Cake
There are different theories to explain the origins of this cake's unique name, and so far nobody agrees on which one is right. Here are several explanations.

•  This cake is so yummy that it makes you HUM with delight, or happiness when you anticipate having a slice
•  Hummingbirds drink nectar from flowers and this cake is just a sweet as a flower's nectar
•  Hummingbirds themselves are associated with the lighthearted and sweet side of life, hence the name of this cake
•  When the cake is served, people hover around it the way hummingbirds hover around nectar bearing flowers
• Although a cake made for people, it is a cake sweet enough to attract even hummingbirds
•  Bananas and pineapples come from the tropics, and the national bird of Jamaica is a hummingbird...could this be how it got its name?

So pick the theory that makes the most sense to you, or embrace all of them as having a role in how Hummingbird Cake got its name.

Other Names for Hummingbird Cake
Even though the ingredients stay basically the same, the Hummingbird Cake has other names such as:

▪Never Ending Cake
▪Jamaican Cake
▪Granny's Best Cake
▪Nothing Left Cake
▪Cake That Won't Last

History of Hummingbird Cake
The Hummingbird Cake first achieved mass appeal after it was submitted to Southern Living Magazine in February of 1978, by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro North Carolina. Unfortunately, Mrs. Wiggins did not supply an explanation of the cake's whimsical name. Hummingbird Cake went on to become the most requested recipe from Southern Living Magazine, until it was recently surpassed by requests for another southern favorite: Coconut Cake.

Although this cake may have started as a simple banana cake from the tropics, it became an American dessert with the addition of pecans, which are grown in the USA, and a thick layer of classic cream cheese frosting, which is also uniquely American.

Having sufficiently discussed the Hummingbird cake I find it only fitting that I share a variation of the recipe that seems to be easy enough to follow. So what is your favorite cake? Is there one that your family must have during the holiday season? Feel free to post your favorites or request any that you would like a recipe for. As always in parting I say” Let’s Eat”!

Hummingbird Cake Recipe
from Southern Living Magazine February 1978

Cake Directions

1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup canola or safflower oil
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 - 8 ounce can crushed pineapple, do not drain
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 - 4 medium sized bananas)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter or spray two - 9x2 inch round cake pans and line the bottoms of the pans with a circle of parchment paper.

Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 8 minutes or until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool and then chop finely. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.

In another large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped pecans. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until combined. Evenly divide the batter between the two prepared pans and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack. After about 10 minutes invert the cakes onto the wire rack, remove the pans and parchment paper, and then cool completely before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting Directions

¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3 ⅔ cups icing (confectioners) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup finely chopped pecans

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and cream cheese, on low speed, until very smooth with no lumps. Gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and beat, on low speed, until fully incorporated and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the finely chopped pecans.

Garnish with pecan halves if desired

Serves 10 to 12 people

SOURCES
Joyofbaking.com
Marthastewart.com
Thehungryhousewife.blogspot.com
Bigoven.com
Cakespy.com
Ezrapoundcake.com