Contents
Banana, pineapple and pecan in an oil batter, layered with cream cheese frosting. It arrived in the American South by way of Jamaica — the Jamaican tourist board circulated a version in the 1960s, named for the doctor bird on the national coat of arms — and became the single most requested recipe in the history of Southern Living after a Mrs L. H. Wiggins of North Carolina sent it in in 1978.
What makes it work
- No creaming, no mixer. This is a stir-together oil cake: whisk the dry, whisk the wet, fold. Beating it develops gluten and toughens a batter that is already heavy with fruit.
- Very ripe bananas, black-spotted. Starch has converted to sugar and the fruit mashes to a purée that distributes; a firm banana leaves lumps.
- Crushed pineapple, undrained. The juice is part of the liquid. Draining it gives a dry cake.
- Oil, not butter, so it stays moist for days — see baking fats.
- Toast the pecans. Untoasted nuts in a wet batter go soft and taste of nothing.
Ingredients
Three 20 cm layers. Serves 14.
- 375 g all-purpose flour
- 400 g granulated sugar
- 8 g baking soda
- 5 g fine salt
- 8 g ground cinnamon
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 300 ml neutral oil
- 2 tsp vanilla — see Pure vanilla extract
- 400 g very ripe banana, mashed, about 3
- 250 g crushed pineapple with its juice
- 150 g pecans, toasted and chopped
Frosting:
- 450 g full-fat cream cheese, cold
- 225 g unsalted butter, softened
- 500 g powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 g fine salt
- extra toasted pecans, to finish
Method
Heat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F. Butter and line three 20 cm tins.
Whisk the flour, sugar, soda, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.
Add the eggs, oil and vanilla and stir just until the flour disappears — by hand, with a spatula. Fold in the banana, pineapple and juice, and the pecans.
Divide by weight and bake 25–30 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely.
Beat the butter smooth, add the cold cream cheese and beat only 30 seconds, then the sifted sugar, vanilla and salt for one minute. Frost the layers, and press pecans round the base.
Notes
- It is a carrot cake by another route — same oil-and-fruit method, different fruit. See Carrot Cake and Cakes With Vegetables.
- The batter also makes 24 muffins at 175 °C for 20 minutes.
- Keeps five days refrigerated. Serve at room temperature.
Elsewhere on the site
Method and theory: Cake recipes · cakes · Cream Cheese Frosting
Nearby: Carrot Cake · red velvet cake · crumb cake