Southern Hummingbird Sheet Cake

A slice of this deliciously spiced hummingbird sheet cake is the perfect way to start or end your day! This classic Southern cake is made with bananas and crushed pineapple and finished with a rich cream cheese frosting.

Hey folks! Today, I’m sharing a Southern classic – an old-fashioned hummingbird sheet cake recipe! Hummingbird cake is a Southern staple. You’ll see it at just about every get-together where dessert is served. So, naturally, as a Southern and Soul Food blogger, I had to share my own recipe.

If you’ve been around a while, you’ll know that I’ve shared a layer cake version of hummingbird cake before, and boy, was it a hit! Now, I want to share the sheet cake version – slightly different, just as delicious! This hummingbird sheet cake pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee in the morning. It’s like a spiced coffee cake meets banana bread meets carrot cake. How delicious does that sound?!

Ingredients for Homemade Hummingbird Sheet Cake

The ingredients for this homemade hummingbird cake are simple – classic cake ingredients mixed with tropical flavor from sweet bananas and pineapple. You get a delicious cake that’s not too sweet, making it perfect to enjoy any time of day – for dessert or breakfast! Here’s everything you need to make an old-fashioned hummingbird sheet cake.

Hummingbird Cake Ingredients:

• Flour, Sugar, Baking Soda, & Salt: these four ingredients are the base of just about any simple cake recipe. If you have these pantry staples on hand, you’re off to a great start!
• Cinnamon and Nutmeg: these simple spices give the hummingbird cake that classic spice cake flavor, helping to make it not-too-sweet.
• Vanilla Extract: just a little bit adds a warm depth of flavor to this tasty cake.
• Eggs: as with most cake recipes, eggs give your cake structure. You’ll need 4 large eggs or 5 medium eggs for this recipe.
• Vegetable Oil & Apple Sauce: despite what you may think, apple sauce does NOT make this cake taste like apples! These two ingredients ensure a perfectly moist cake.
• Crushed Pineapple: here’s where that tropical flavor comes in! I prefer to use canned crushed pineapple to keep it simple.
• Bananas: you’ll need three very ripe bananas. The more ripe they are, the sweeter they are. Overripe bananas add a ton of flavor and moisture to hummingbird cake.

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:

• Softened Cream Cheese: be sure to let your cream cheese come to room temperature first, which will ensure your frosting is nice and smooth.
• Butter: use unsalted butter for this frosting recipe.
• Powdered Sugar: used to sweeten the icing.
• Milk & Vanilla Extract: the wet ingredients bring the cream cheese frosting together into the perfect spreadable consistency.

Can you use brown sugar in a hummingbird sheet cake?

Yes, you certainly can! In fact, using brown sugar will give your hummingbird cake a much richer, caramel flavor, which goes perfectly with the sweet and tropical flavor of pineapple and banana (think bananas foster or pineapple upside down cake vibes… ohhh, yes please!). You can either swap out all the white sugar for brown, or use half and half, depending on the flavor you want.

Can I include nuts in this hummingbird cake recipe?

Yes, including nuts in your hummingbird cake is totally optional. I chose to leave out the nuts for this sheet cake recipe, but including toasted pecans or walnuts will give your cake an extra crunch that some love!

How to Make Hummingbird Sheet Cake

Now for the fun part – making this hummingbird sheet cake recipe! The reason I chose to turn my original cake into a sheet cake is simply because it’s easier and less time-consuming than making a layer cake. Having to make all those cake layers, letting them cool before assembling, and the delicate process of stacking frosted layers… sometimes, we ain’t got time for that! This sheet cake version is so simple and just as delicious, the shortcut is so worth it!

Here’s how to make a simple sheet pan hummingbird cake:

1. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices. Mix until well combined.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine your wet ingredients: eggs, vanilla, vegetable oil, applesauce, crushed pineapple, and mashed bananas. Mix until those are well combined.
3. Slowly start adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. You can mix by hand or use an electric or stand mixer.
4. Mix until you have a nice, creamy cake batter – but DON’T overmix!
5. Prep a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and pour the hummingbird cake batter into the prepared pan.
6. Bake the cake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

While the hummingbird sheet cake is baking, make the cream cheese frosting:

1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and butter until smooth.
2. Add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Continue mixing (on low speed) until a smooth and creamy icing forms.
3. Once your hummingbird cake is cooled, apply a nice, thick layer of icing on top of the cake.

Best Ways to Enjoy Homemade Hummingbird Sheet Cake

One of my favorite ways to enjoy a slice of this old-fashioned hummingbird cake is paired with a cup of coffee! I’ve always loved my Folgers Classic Roast and just discovered a few other favorite blends – Coffeehouse and 100% Colombian – YUM! I have a cup of coffee with lots of cream every morning. If only I could pair it with hummingbird cake every day too!

Here are some other ways to enjoy hummingbird cake:

• Drizzle some caramel sauce over the top of the cream cheese frosting. Caramel goes perfectly with hummingbird cake’s warm spices and banana and pineapple flavors.
• Leave the cake unfrosted. Unfrosted cakes are great for breakfast – it’s like a tasty coffee cake without the guilt of all that sugar from the rich cream cheese frosting.
• Sprinkle the top with crushed pecans or walnuts. If you decide not to mix nuts into the cake batter, adding them as a garnish on top is the perfect way to get that nutty crunch.

Why is my hummingbird sheet cake dry?

Did you drain the juice from the crushed pineapple?! Tisk, tisk! In this recipe, we want all that tropical goodness IN our cake! Another cause of a dry cake is overmixing, so be sure to mix the batter just until all the ingredients are combined.

How do you store hummingbird cake?

I highly recommend storing this cake in the fridge. Because the cake is super moist and has a cream cheese frosting, it will taste best when stored

More Sweet Southern Treats from I Heart Recipes

Well, there you have it, fam! An old-fashioned hummingbird cake recipe in sheet-pan form; perfect for feeding a crowd, but so much easier than a classic layer cake! Use the recipe card below to print out the full ingredients list and directions for this delicious cake, then let me know in the comments if you make it!

Want to try some more classic Southern desserts? I’ve got just the lineup for you! Here are some more favorite dessert recipes to try:

• Southern Sock It To Me Cake
• Easy Honeybun Cake
• Caramel Pecan Coffee Cake
• Old-Fashioned Banana Crumb Cake
• Homemade Southern Caramel Cake (from Scratch)

Use the recipe card to print out my old fashioned hummingbird cake recipe below! And don’t forget to subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube for more delicious recipes! Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, and check out my new cookbook, Super Soul Food with Cousin Rosie!

This post has been sponsored by The J.M. Smucker Company. I received product and compensation, but all opinions are my own.