Light and fluffy hummingbird cupcakes topped with an irresistible cream cheese frosting. There is no way to resist these beautiful twists on a classic.
Hummingbird cakes have been a favorite of my grandmother's since she was a child. Her family never had a lot, so on the rare occasions her mother did make one, my grandmother and her siblings fought over every last crumb. From what I understand it was bloody and quite possibly the true start to World War I. Growing up, she would make it often for special occasions and remind us of how much she loved it. I devoured it as a kid when she made it. After I left home for college, however, I seemed to have forgotten all about the cake until very recently.
Hummingbird cupcakes are the baby sisters of the hummingbird cake which is a banana pineapple cake filled with spices, nuts, and sometimes coconut. It is a classic southern dessert that is often paired with cream cheese frosting. Not much is known about the true beginnings of the hummingbird cake, but the first published record of it is in Southern Living in 1978. Many people like to decorate their cakes with pecans. I personally love how the dried pineapples look on these hummingbird cupcakes.
If you want to freeze your hummingbird cupcakes, I recommend doing so before you frost them. You can also freeze the frosting in an airtight container. To thaw both, I recommend heating the cupcakes in a 300 degrees F oven for about 5-10 minutes. You can thaw the frosting at room temperature for about 20 minutes. To make the pineapple flowers, use unsweetened dried pineapple rings. Make a single cut so that you can roll up the rings like roses. Press them down well. They will eventually uncurl a bit, but will stay formed into nice little flowers.
Recipe Card
Hummingbird Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 large bananas mashed
- ⅓ cup crushed pineapple
- ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup chopped pecans toasted
For the Frosting:
- 4 ounces full fat block cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 - 2 tablespoons heavy cream room temperature
- 12 dried pineapple rings
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake tin with liners and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Whisk well and set aside.
- In a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, making sure each egg well incorporated before adding the next.
- Add in the banana and pineapple and beat well.
- Add in the flour and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the coconut and pecans until just incorporated.
- Fill the cupcake liners until they are ¾ full.
- Bake for 18 – 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- While the cupcakes are cooling, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat until it is well incorporated – about 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and mix well. Add in enough heavy cream until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Fit a piping bag with a piping tip and fill with the frosting.
- Frost the cupcakes.
- Take the pineapple rings and make a cut on a part of the ring so you can wrap the ring around like a flower. Top the cupcakes with the dried pineapples.
- Store in an airtight container for up to three days.
Brian says
These look really delicious. Thank you for sharing your recipe. Is there is a filling in the cupcake? In the photo, it looks like there is a creamy centre under the frosting. Thanks.
Amanda says
Hi Brian, thank you so much for your kind words. That is actually just a chunk of pineapple! No filling in these particular cupcakes.
Brian says
Hi Amanda. Thanks for the information. The cupcakes look delicious, and I"m sure they taste even better. I've just subscribed to your site via your RSS feed. Have a good day.