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| Alternative names | doctor bird cake |
|---|---|
| Type | Cake |
| Place of origin | Jamaica |
| Main ingredients | Flour,sugar,vegetable oil,Bananas,pineapples,pecans, vanilla,eggs, spices |
Hummingbird cake is a banana-pineapplespice cake originating inJamaica and a popular dessert in thesouthern United States since the 1970s. Ingredients includeflour,sugar, salt,vegetable oil, ripebanana,pineapple, cinnamon, pecans,vanilla extract, eggs, andleavening agent. It is often served with cream cheese frosting.[1][2][3]
Created inJamaica where the dessert is called the doctor bird cake (or Dr. Bird cake),[4][5] it is named after the island's national bird, thescissors-tail hummingbird (locally known as the doctor bird). In 1968, the Jamaica Tourist Board exported the recipe for hummingbird cake, along with other localJamaican recipes, in media press kits sent to the United States.[4] The marketing was aimed at American consumers to create interest in visiting the island.[5][6]
One of the first known publications of the recipe in US print, as written by L.H. Wiggins, was in the February 1978 issue ofSouthern Living.[5] The recipe was a hit with readers and won the Favorite Cake Award later that same year at theKentucky State Fair.
It was later votedSouthern Living's favorite recipe in 1990 and was noted as the most requested recipe in the magazine's history.[7] The Southern cake typically has two or three layers withpecans (orwalnuts), mashed ripe bananas, canned crushed pineapple and a sweetcream cheese frosting.
