Banana Pineapple Pecan Cake

This is a close cousin of the Southern hummingbird cake, a moist single-layer fruit cake that lives somewhere between banana bread and carrot cake. Crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, and chopped pecans go in for triple-threat texture and fruity tropical sweetness.

Use bananas that are past their prime, the kind covered in brown spots that you’d normally toss. Those are the sweetest and mash smoothly into the batter without lumps. Green-tipped fruit tastes starchy and bakes into pale streaks.

Cinnamon, vanilla, and a healthy slug of crushed pineapple (juice and all) keep the crumb tender and aromatic. No creaming, no electric mixer; this is a one-bowl batter that gets stirred just until combined and poured into a 10-inch pan.

The icing is the magic finish: softened margarine or butter, powdered sugar, a splash of pineapple juice, and folded-in pineapple bits for texture. Spread it thick over the cooled cake.

Pro Tips

• Don’t overmix the batter once the flour goes in; a tough crumb is the enemy of a moist fruit cake
• Start testing for doneness at 50 minutes with a cake tester; over-baking dries this one out fast
• Toast the pecans on a sheet pan for 5 to 7 minutes before chopping for fuller, deeper flavor
• Let the cake cool completely before icing or the buttercream will slide right off the warm top

Variations

• Stir a half cup of shredded coconut into the batter for a more tropical lean
• Swap the pineapple icing for classic cream cheese frosting for a tangier finish
• Bake as a layer cake in two 9-inch pans and spread the pineapple icing between the layers