Hummingbird cake, like its namesake bird, has a migration story, though it’s one that’s hard to follow. Many articles about the cake claim it was originally a creation of the Jamaica Tourist Board — a recipe circulated in the 1960s to promote travel to the island. Maybe.

The recipe does highlight the island’s bananas, pineapples, and tropical spices. And the streamertail hummingbird is the island’s national bird — locally known as the doctor bird. The cake is sometimes called a doctor bird cake or Dr. Bird cake. The funny thing is, when I asked Jamaican friends about the cake, they had never heard of it.

Many people know hummingbird cake as an American Southern classic. The editors at Southern Living say they first received word of it from a reader in 1978. A recipe, the magazine’s history of the cake says, had been published in the Charlotte Observer in 1969, along with the suggestion that bakers choose Publix supermarket’s brand of canned pineapple for it. That was followed by a different version in the Observer in 1980, this time attributing the recipe to a Jamaican airline promotion. By then the recipe was more elaborate, with layers, pecans, and cream cheese frosting.

Whatever its real backstory, the recipe was circulated to newspapers and magazines, enthusiastically shared and adopted, and over time became a Southern classic. In 2014, Southern Living touted it as its most popular recipe, and in 2024 it is still the magazine’s “most searched for” cake recipe.

I was a little suspicious of a marketeer’s recipe — whether Jamaican or Southern. But I realized that hummingbird cake, with its myth-mixed past, might be somehow important, like other beloved promo recipes —  Toll House cookies and German chocolate cake.

America’s chocolate chip cookie wasn’t some lucky accident stumbled upon by a Massachusetts innkeeper but is the product of a savvy businesswoman. The only thing German about the gooey coconut-and-pecan frosted cake was the last name of the man who made the dark chocolate. That cake was created by a baker in Texas. But don’t let the truth get in the way of a delicious dessert.

Hummingbird cake appeals on multiple levels. If you’re weary of too many banana breads as the ultimate destination of your overripe bananas, this one is for you. It’s lighter than bread and easy to assemble — no creaming butter or delicate folding. Canned pineapple feels very retro, but it brings the tropical flavors forward. The three layers (yes, you need three pans) make a seriously impressive statement without fancy techniques. And although I never really need one, it’s another reason for cream cheese frosting.

The return of an old-fashioned cake got the attention of my friend Paul Grimes, a former Gourmet editor and food stylist. He took one look at the version I baked and set in on getting the finishing touches just right. “I’ve been labeled ‘the swirl-master,’ ” he said. “I’ve been labeled worse.”

Paul wanted the swags of frosting between the layers to show lavishly and saw no need for smoothing frosting on the sides. Then he piled my chips of toasted coconut high. “Like the trendy new haircut, it’s short on the sides and curly on top,” he said, edging me out of the way to set up the finished cake for photos. I’d say the swirls paid off.

This is an oil-based cake, so it is very moist and can be made with any neutral oil. But to play up the tropical flavor, I use an unrefined coconut oil, warmed enough to be liquid at room temperature.

With the industrious little hummers coming back to our Cape Cod gardens now, a slice of this cake is a delicious way to celebrate their return.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
Makes a 9-inch, 3-layer cake

Butter and flour or baking spray for the pans
2 cups pecan halves
3 cups (360 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
Gratings of fresh nutmeg
½ tsp. fine salt
1½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3-4 bananas)
1 cup coconut oil, or neutral-tasting oil, at room temperature
1 packed cup light brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
8-oz. can crushed pineapple with its juice

For the cream cheese frosting

16 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 oz. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Toasted coconut

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Spread the nuts out on a sheet pan and toast in the oven until they’re a shade darker, about 7 minutes. Cool and set aside ½ cup of the nuts for decorating, and chop the rest of the nuts fine. Line three 9-inch cake pans with parchment and spray with baking spray or brush with butter and dust with flour.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda and powder, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk the banana, coconut oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the pineapple until smooth. Make a well in the center of the flour. Pour in the wet ingredients, then briskly fold the wet into the dry to make a smooth batter, adding the nuts as the batter comes together. Take care not to overmix.
3. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. (Unfrosted and wrapped in plastic or foil, the cakes freeze well.)
4. Make the frosting: Blend the cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. While mixing, add the confectioners’ sugar, then the vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If it seems loose, refrigerate until ready to finish the cake.
5. To assemble the cake: Place a layer topside down on a large serving plate or cake stand. Gently spread about a quarter of the frosting from the center of the cake just to the edges. Repeat with the second and third layers. Using a little less between each layer leaves enough frosting to cover the sides if desired.
6. Toss the reserved toasted pecans with the toasted coconut flakes and scatter over the top of the cake. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes before serving.