Make Ahead

Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake

by:
September  3, 2014
4.5
4 Ratings
Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake
  • Makes One 9-inch Bundt cake
Author Notes

Here is a delicious gluten-free twist on a regional favorite! The highly acclaimed Southern Living version of hummingbird cake made a rich, three layer cake that featured pecans, ripe bananas, crushed pineapple and ground cinnamon. Folk legend says that it’s so good, people will hum with happiness after they take a bit.
—Annalise Roberts

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Hummingbird Cake
  • 1 cup pecans
  • 1 1/2 cups Brown Rice Flour Mix*
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup mashed, very ripe bananas (about 2 medium), at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup well-drained, crushed pineapple (from an 8 oz. can, save the juice)
  • 3 tablespoons pineapple juice
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe follows)
  • Cream Cheese Glaze
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy
Directions
  1. Hummingbird Cake
  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Position rack in center of oven. Bake pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet for about 6-8 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant; stir once or twice, as needed. Cool pecans and then coarsely chop.
  3. Lightly grease a 10-cup Bundt pan (9 inches across the top x 2 1/2-inches) with cooking spray.
  4. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup of the chopped pecans, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
  5. Beat eggs in large bowl of electric mixer until lemon colored. Add granulated sugar; beat until smooth and thick. Add bananas, pineapple, pineapple juice, and vanilla and mix until well combined (you can leave tiny pieces of banana in the batter). Scrape bowl. Add flour mixture and oil and beat at medium-¬low speed for about 30 seconds; scrape bowl to incorporate all of the flour mix. Do not overbeat.
  6. Spread batter into prepared pan. Place in center of oven and bake about 45 minutes, or until a tooth¬pick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Do not open oven for first 40 minutes.
  7. Cool cake on a rack for 8 minutes. Carefully remove cake from pan and cool completely on rack. Move to cake plate and spoon Cream Cheese Glaze (recipe below) over top of cake and let it drip down the sides. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
  8. Serve at room temperature. Cut with a sawing motion with a serrated knife. Can be made a day ahead. Store cake in refrigerator, covered tightly with plastic wrap. Can be covered with plastic wrap and then with foil and stored in freezer for up to two weeks. Best when eaten within three days of baking.
  9. * Notes to Make Brown Rice flour mix: (Makes 3 cups) 2 cups extra finely ground brown rice flour (Authentic Foods brand works best, Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur works second best), 2/3 cup potato starch (not potato flour), 1/3 cup tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch).
  1. Cream Cheese Glaze
  2. Beat cream cheese in large bowl of electric mixer until smooth. Add milk and vanilla, then gradually add powdered sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to thin as needed.
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