Hummingbird Cake Recipe

With Christmas quickly approaching, I have been super busy with holiday catering.  I thought I would take a moment to share one of my grandmother's yummy dessert recipes... hummingbird cake.

Start by spraying three round pans with non-stick cooking spray.  Preheat your oven to 350.

Next, mix the following dry ingredients in a bowl.  Stir by hand (do not use a mixer).

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

Once the above ingredients are combined, add the following to your mixture.

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 8oz. can crushed pineapple (undrained)

2 cups chopped bananas

1 cup chopped pecans

Mix well by hand.  Pour batter into your waiting pans (split evenly).  Bake for 30 minutes.

For your icing, you will beat the following ingredients together until smooth and spread on baked cakes.

1 8oz. package cream cheese (softened)

1 stick margarine (softened)

1 tsp. vanilla

1 lb. powdered sugar

Stack baked and iced cakes to equal three layers.  Serve and enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

I come from a family of great cooks.  Only recently have I began to really enjoy cooking for my family though.  I know, it seems a little late... but better late than never I suppose.

My grandmother gave me a pumpkin spice cake recipe while we were talking a few weeks back that I have been dying to try.  I am a self proclaimed pumpkin junkie this time of year and my mouth watered since our conversation.  An added bonus - this is the simplest recipe ever!

All you need is a box of spice cake mix and can of pumpkin.  I had a hard time finding the cake mix, but finally located a box at Walmart.  I chose to make mine in a bundt pan.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease your bundt pan.

First, mix your box of spice cake mix and can of pumpkin.  Do not use any of the extras that the normal cake calls for (eggs, oil, water).  Using an electric mixer gets a smoother consistency since it is so thick.

Next, pour your batter into a the bundt pan. Put into the oven and cook for 30 - 40 minutes (depending on your oven).  I checked to make sure my cake was done using a toothpick - it's done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Here is the finished product - a delicious pumpkin spice cake!

Does anyone have any other great pumpkin recipes to share?  Please leave your favorites in the comments.