shereen's: life's little pleasures...

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, juice reserved
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 5 bananas)
• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1″ cubes, chilled
• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into 1″ cubes, chilled
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350F. Line three 9” round cake pans (if you have none then go for square as i did) - and instead of three layers i did two. (i like working with what i have & not having to invest in something just for one cake). Coat them with baking paper & a little flour and set it aside.
2. In a large bowl sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, stir in pecans and set aside (i didn’t have pecans so i worked with walnuts), in the mixer - beat sugar, brown sugar & eggs in a large bowl until smooth for 1 minute. Add in the crushed pineapples, and their juice, bananas (i didn’t have bananas, so none was in my batter), oil & vanilla until combined, on low speed.
3. Divide batter evenly, depends on how many baking pans you’re using. Bake cakes and rotate it occasionally, insert a tooth pick in the middle to check if cake is ready after 50 minutes. Once done remove and set aside on cake rack.
4. Frosting:  Beat butter on medium speed until smooth, for 2 minutes then add cream cheese, vanilla and beat till creamy. Add the confectioner’s sugar and mix on low speed; fold in pecans (i used hazelnut instead) into the frosting. 
5. Assemble the cake together by stacking the layers filled with the frosting. Decorate base on your creativity.

(i did not have a couple of the ingredients but still decided to go ahead by baking this scrumptious hummingbird cake!, despite not having bananas, and pecans… i substituted pecans to walnuts for the base & hazelnut for frosting!)

have fun baking!