Hummingbird Skillet Cake
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
A spiced pineapple-and-banana cake, baked straight in a cast-iron skillet and folded through with toasted pecans for crunch. Topped with cream cheese frosting and more pecans, it's a Southern layer-cake flavour turned into one easy round.
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Method
- 1
Toast the pecans. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 180°C (160°C fan). Toast the pecans on a large baking tray until golden brown, about 10 minutes, then let them cool completely.
- 2
Purée the fruit. Peel, trim and core the pineapple and measure 140 g of flesh into a blender jar. Peel the banana and add 85 g to the jar. Blend until smooth.
- 3
Whip the base. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, bicarbonate of soda, nutmeg, eggs and vanilla. Mix on low to moisten, then raise to medium and whip until thick and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
- 4
Add butter and flour. With the mixer running, pour in the melted butter in a steady stream. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour.
- 5
Fold in fruit and pecans. Once smooth, add the fruit purée and mix only until combined. Fold in the toasted pecans (reserving 30 g for the topping) with a flexible spatula, scraping the bowl well.
- 6
Bake. Transfer the batter to a lightly greased 25 cm cast-iron skillet. Bake until well risen and golden brown, about 45 minutes; a skewer inserted in the centre should come out with a few moist crumbs, and a fingertip should leave only a slight indentation in the crust.
- 7
Cool completely. Transfer the skillet to a heat-safe surface or wire rack and cool until no trace of warmth remains, at least 90 minutes.
- 8
Frost and serve. Top the cooled cake with the cream cheese frosting and scatter with the reserved toasted pecans. Serve, or leave at cool room temperature for up to 24 hours before serving.
Storage
The frosted cake keeps at cool room temperature for up to 24 hours. After cutting, wrap leftover slices individually and keep them at cool room temperature for up to 2 more days; in warm weather keep them covered in the fridge instead.
Free sugars
39.6 g per serving
79.2 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 158.4 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- large baking tray
- blender, or a stick blender and a tall jar
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- flexible spatula
- 25 cm cast-iron skillet
- wire rack
- offset spatula for frosting
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 479 kcal |
| Protein | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 56.1 g |
| of which sugars | 42.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 39.6 g |
| Fat | 28.2 g |
| of which saturates | 10 g |
| Fibre | 1.9 g |
| Salt | 0.63 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
0.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
