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Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

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You may know by now that I try to make desserts that are both delicious and (a bit) better for you than traditional baked goods. But when it comes to cake, I simply can’t accept any substitutes for a sugary, buttery frosting. Keep your whipped cream and coconut butter, I NEED BUTTERCREAM. Or in my case vegan buttercream.

I’ve attempted vegan buttercream frostings in the past, and this one is by far my favorite. It’s devilishly sweet, buttery tasting, and stable enough to frost a 3-layer cake in an 80°F apartment. The secret? Add a bit of vegetable shortening. Yes. I know. Maybe you think it’s gross or too unhealthy. But the shortening really helps to stabilize this frosting. You could leave the shortening out and replace it with vegan butter, but I can’t vouch for the results.

As for making the vegan buttercream, it really is so simple. You’ll need vegan butter (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks), vegan cream cheese (I used Trader Joe’s brand), vegetable shortening, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Lots of powdered sugar. You’ll want the vegan butter to soften to room temperature, but you’ll keep the vegan cream cheese in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make your frosting. Before you add the cream cheese to your mixing bowl, pour out any liquid that has pooled at the top.

The cake itself is pretty straight-forward. I made an 8″ 3-layer cake, but this amount of batter will work for a 9″ 2-layer cake or even a thick 6″ 3-layer cake. For 8″ or 9″ pans, the cake layers will be thin and flat enough that you won’t need to trim the tops off. For a totally vegan cake, check the “notes” section below.

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Banana and pineapple make up a classic Hummingbird Cake. I like my bananas mashed and my pineapple crushed but feel free to chop your banana or use pineapple chunks!

Toasted pecans have a more prominent flavor than non toasted pecans, and it takes so little time to pop them in the oven and let them toast.

Extra light olive oil gives this cake moisture while maintaining a low flavor profile.

White whole wheat flour is a whole wheat flour that’s lighter in color and sweeter in taste. It’s milled from the whole hard white wheat berry, so it has more naturally occurring nutrients than all-purpose flour.

All-purpose flour helps keep this cake soft. It balances out the white whole wheat flour.

Cinnamon and nutmeg add a bit of cozy spice. Feel free to play with your spices, adding more or less to suit your tastes.

Yield: 12 servings

Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

Hummingbird Cake with Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

A Classic Hummingbird cake made dairy-free! With bananas, pineapple, toasted pecans, and thick layers of you-can't-tell-it's-vegan Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting, this cake will not disappoint!

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 50 minutes

Ingredients

Hummingbird Cake

  • 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 5 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
  • 6 Tbsp extra light olive oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cups mashed ripe banana (~2-3 bananas)
  • 1 cup (8oz) crushed pineapple (with juice)
  • 3/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting

  • 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened to room temp (I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks)
  • 1/4 cup shortening
  • 8oz vegan cream cheese, straight from the refrigerator (I used Trader Joe's brand)
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2-2 lbs powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your cake pans. Spray each pan with olive oil and then line the bottoms with a parchment paper circle. If your pecans aren't already toasted, now would be a good time to toast them - spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for around 10 minutes or until toasted. If you plan to frost your cake the same day, you can set out your vegan butter.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and coconut sugar. Stir in the toasted chopped pecans.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond milk, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add in the mashed banana and pineapple. Add liquid ingredients to dry and gently mix until no flour pockets remain.
  4. Divide the batter equally into your pans. For three 8" pans, bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with a few crumbs, being sure to rotate your pans halfway through baking.
  5. Allow cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Run a butter knife around the edges, invert a cooling rack over the top, and then flip over. Your cakes should all come out easily. Gently remove the parchment paper circles and throw away.
  6. Once your cakes have cooled completely, you can make your frosting. Drain liquid from the vegan cream cheese, and then, in a large bowl, beat together the vegan butter, shortening, and vegan cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add 16oz of the powdered sugar and beat. Continue adding powdered sugar until you've reached the desired consistency. If you end up adding too much sugar, you can add water or nut milk 1 tsp at a time to thin the frosting out.
  7. Now you can begin frosting your cake! I added 3/4 cup of frosting between each layer and then smoothed the rest onto the sides and top of the cake. Decorate your cake with pecans and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator if your home is warm.

Notes

  • For vegan cake: use 3 flax eggs in place of the eggs. 1 flax egg = 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 3 Tbsp water. Let thicken for 5 minutes.
  • For 2-layer cake: this recipe will also work for two 9" cakes. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, check cakes, and continue baking until done.
  • To make ahead: Cakes can be made in advance. Once totally cool, wrap each cake in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil, being sure to seal totally. Refrigerate until ready to frost.
  • For less sugar: you can use less frosting between the layers and make a "naked" cake.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 759 Total Fat: 32g Saturated Fat: 11g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 19g Cholesterol: 69mg Sodium: 468mg Carbohydrates: 116g Fiber: 3g Sugar: 92g Protein: 7g
calculated nutrition information may not always be accurate
© Rachael Ng | Sugared & Stirred
Category: Cake

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Other recipes you might like:

Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake
Healthier Banana Nut Bread
Glazed Orange Almond Muffins

Gluten-Free Healthier Banana Nut Bread

by 1 Comment

Ever since my GF Zucchini Choc Chip Muffins, I have been shook at how simple it can be to create a delicious and moist quick bread with the texture of a regular glutenous bread. I’m sure we’ve all had at least one bad experience with a gluten-free muffin or cookie that just didn’t live up to our expectations. Well, this bread. This bread! It’s good. It’s moist. It tastes just like the real deal. And it’s better for you than other sugar loaded banana breads!

I took my favorite Healthier Banana Nut Bread and simply swapped out the flour for my own GF flour/starch blend! Once you have all of your ingredients compiled, this recipe is so easy! I like to bake this bread at a lower temperature for a tad longer just to make sure it comes out nice and moist – as I think a banana bread should be. Feel free to omit the walnuts and add in your favorite mix-ins – white or dark chocolate chips, blueberries, poppy seeds, etc. And as always, happy baking!

Gluten-Free Healthier Banana Nut Bread
Makes one 9×5” loaf

1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 eggs*, room temp
3 ripe bananas (~1 1/3 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup almond milk, room temp
3 Tbsp applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup oat flour
2/3 cup white rice flour
1/3 cup almond flour
2/3 cup tapioca flour/starch
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1.) Preheat your oven to 300°F. Spray a loaf pan with olive oil and then line with parchment paper, making sure you a couple of parchment “tabs” overhanging the sides to make for easy removal of your baked loaf. It’s very important to make sure all four sides of your pan are lined with parchment (and not just non-stick spray) as the almond flour will cause the loaf to stick. Bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for about 10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut sugar and honey. Whisk in the eggs and then the mashed banana, almond milk, applesauce, and vanilla until totally combined; set aside.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, tapioca flour/starch, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients and gently mix until nearly combined. Add in the chopped walnuts, mixing gently until no flour pockets remain. Feel free to get creative with your mix-ins (add chocolate chips, poppy seeds, or other fruit!).

4.) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake at 300°F for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out with crumbs. The lower temp + longer cook time yields a moist banana bread.

5.) Allow your baked loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before gently using the parchment paper to lift it up and onto a cooling rack. Slice and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

*you can use 2 flax eggs if vegan: 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water, mix and allow to thicken for a couple of minutes

Healthier Banana Blueberry Muffins (dairy-free!)

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At our house, we love a good muffin. And what’s not to like about a banana muffin topped with sweet, crumbly oats and bursting with blueberries?! The best part is that these are low in sugar, and I use low GI coconut sugar + unrefined honey to sweeten these bad boys. And my picky toddler loves them! For real though. She’s hit or miss on fresh blueberries, but these muffins get her every time. It’s a win-win!

These muffins are so easy to get together. If you don’t have coconut sugar, you can use any granulated sugar. And if you only have all-purpose flour stocked in your pantry, then feel free to use only AP flour – I just prefer WWPF because it creates such a fluffy muffin! I throw in a bit of white whole wheat flour, too. It’s important that your ingredients are room temperature so your coconut oil stays liquid. And you don’t want to use frozen blueberries – I tried that once and ended up with blue muffins. Yes, the batter turned blue, and it wasn’t cute. Or appetizing. So fresh blueberries are the way to go! Happy baking!

Healthier Banana Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

Muffins
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup honey
2 medium ripe bananas (1 cup mashed banana)
1/2 cup almond milk, room temp
2 large eggs, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup + 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (washed and patted dry)
Oat Topping
1/3 cup old-fashioned oats
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
2 Tbsp flour of your choice
2 Tbsp liquid coconut oil or melted vegan butter

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin pan by adding paper liners or spraying with olive oil/nonstick spray.

2.) In a medium bowl, combine the coconut sugar and honey. Mash your bananas and add to the sugar mixture. Add the almond milk, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk with a fork until everything is totally combined.

3.) In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add 1 cup of the blueberries and gently toss. Pour liquid ingredients into dry and gently fold until no flour pockets remain.

4) Fill muffin pan nearly to the top. Sprinkle the 1/4 cup of blueberries on top of the muffins, slightly pressing the fruit into the batter; set aside.

5) Make your oat topping by combining the oats, coconut sugar, flour, and oil/vegan butter in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the unbaked muffins.

6.) Bake your muffins at 350°F for 17-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean or with small crumbs. Let baked muffins rest in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for a longer shelf life.

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts

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It’s our first week in our new apartment, and I really wanted my first bake to be something with a chocolate icing. I melted dark chocolate and added that to a super simple mix of confectioner’s sugar and almond milk and OMG. It came out so good. And then I dipped my Chocolate Banana Donuts in it and I literally ate three. Yeah, that happened. These donuts are freaking good. I made Nathan take them to work, because I knew I’d end up eating all 12.

The batter is easy to whip together – it’s basically a quick bread batter that I piped into a donut pan. If you don’t have a donut pan yet, then you should definitely get one. They’re relatively inexpensive, especially if you buy one from a favorite craft store that regularly has 40% off coupons…

For this baked donut recipe, you’ll use a piping bag or large Ziploc bag to simply pipe the batter into the pan – that’s it! I promise it’s easy. And the icing? Just three basic ingredients, warmed up over a double boiler to make sure it sets. If you don’t warm your icing, there’s a good chance it will soak into the donuts (trust me). If you have any questions, leave them below. Happy baking!

Vegan Chocolate Banana Cake Donuts
Makes 12 regular donuts

Donuts
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (or honey if non-vegan)
1/2 cup coconut milk yogurt
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 flax eggs (2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp water)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp neutral oil*
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup spelt flour (all-purpose will work, too)
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
Icing
1 cup confectioner’s/powdered sugar
~2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
.7oz (20g) vegan dark chocolate

1.) Preheat your oven to 350°F and spray a donut pan with olive oil. In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut sugar, honey, yogurt, almond milk, flax eggs, vanilla, oil, and mashed banana; set aside.

2.) In a large bowl, sift together the flours and cocoa powder. Whisk in the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix until no flour pockets remain.

3.) Fill a pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with the batter (I started out with half). Pipe the batter into your greased donut pan, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F for 10-11 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a donut comes out with crumbs. Allow donuts to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack – they should pop right out when you turn the pan over and shake a bit. Let donuts cool completely.

4.) To melt the dark chocolate, bring about an inch of water to simmer in a medium saucepan. Place your chocolate in a heatproof bowl that will rest on top of your saucepan, being sure it doesn’t touch the water. Let your chocolate melt, stirring constantly. Remove your bowl from the heat and set your chocolate aside.

5.) In another heatproof bowl, stir together the powdered sugar and almond milk until combined. Add the melted chocolate and mix until totally combined. Heat your icing over the simmering water (the same way you did the chocolate) until just warm to the touch; remove from heat. Dip the tops of your donuts in the icing and then set them to rest on a cooling rack. Be sure to work quickly as the icing will begin to set fast. Enjoy your iced donuts!

*an oil with a light taste, such as avocado, grapeseed, or light olive oil. I don’t recommend coconut oil, as the cold ingredients (milk and yogurt) will cause the melted oil to solidify

Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake

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One of my favorite things about baking is how easy it can be to take a recipe I already love and tweak a few things to make it like a brand new recipe. I came up with a dairy-free banana cake recipe a few months ago for my husband’s birthday, so when my mom requested a banana chocolate cake for my dad’s birthday celebration, I knew I had a delicious, fluffy banana cake that would be perfect with chocolate frosting! I added a bit of cocoa to the cake batter – nothing too rich – to add a little extra chocolate and whipped up a simple american buttercream with a bit of cocoa and cinnamon. I hope you like this simple cake as much as we do! Happy baking!

Dairy-Free Banana Chocolate Cake with Vegan Chocolate Cinnamon Buttercream
Makes one 11×8.5″ sheet cake (for cupcakes, see below)

Cake
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup + 3 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour*
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cup coconut sugar
6 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk, room temp
6 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temp
heaping 1 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
Sprinkles or crushed cacao nibs for topping
Buttercream
3/4 cup butter or vegan butter, softened**
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2-3 tsp cinnamon, to taste
2-4 Tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1.) Preheat oven to 350℉. Line cake pan with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. Bring your eggs to room temp by placing them in a glass of warm water for ~10 minutes.

2.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, almond milk, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and whisk until combined. Stir in the mashed banana; set aside.

3.) In a large bowl, sift the flours and cocoa powder. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and whisk until well combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry and gently stir until no flour pockets remain. Pour batter into cake pan and bake at 350℉ for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

4.) Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before running a butter knife around the edges and removing to a cooling rack. I like to place the cooling rack over the top of the cake and then (holding the rack with the pan) flip the cake pan over. Your cake should come right out. If you don’t plan to remove your cake from the pan until serving, then just allow your cake to cool in the pan on top of a cooling rack.

5.) Once your cake is cool, prepare your buttercream. In a medium bowl, beat softened butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Add almond milk 1 Tbsp at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency – thick/thin enough to spread. Frost your cake and top with sprinkles, crushed cacao nibs, or extra cinnamon. Slice and enjoy! If you used vegan butter, I recommend storing any leftovers in the refrigerator.

*If you don’t have this kind of flour on hand, you can use white whole wheat flour OR all-purpose flour

**If you’re using vegan butter, I highly recommend the Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (I used the soy free). I’ve found that you want the vegan butter to soften but not too much, so I don’t recommend letting it sit out for too long

 

For 12 Cupcakes
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp whole wheat pastry flour (or white whole wheat flour)*
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk, room temp
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs, room temp
heaping 1 cup mashed ripe banana

Follow the mixing steps above, but let your batter sit for 20 minutes. Then fill your paper-lined cupcake pan 3/4 full and bake at 350℉ for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool, frost, and enjoy!