A tale of two cakes

I was looking through photos and found this one of the Hummingbird Cake I made for Tyler's birthday. It was my first cake from scratch and I was so excited that it turned out. I grew up on cake from a box or the store bought kind. I still love those (see funfetti goodness below) but now I love the challenge of making a cake from scratch. Hummingbird Cake is a favorite of Tyler's family, and when I googled the recipe I discovered that it is the most requested recipe in Southern Living Magazine history.




Hummingbird Cake (made by Julia, woo hoo!)

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
1 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped bananas

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and bananas.

Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cakepans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 (16-ounce) package powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating at low speed until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla. Fold in chopped pecans.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake. Store in refrigerator.

A couple of changes that I made: I didn't have 3 pans, so I made it in 2 which meant it had to cook longer and may have been a bit denser. I also forgot to combine the chopped pecans with the frosting before I put it on the cake so I just dumped them on top!

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Funfetti Cake (made by Tyler for Julia's bday)

Directions:
Follow directions on Funfetti Cake Box
Frost with Rainbow Chip Frosting, other frostings are just not the same.
Eat it fast before it falls apart.


I'm not really sure if my husband had ever frosted a cake before...



The cake split apart and the top layer started sliding off the bottom layer...it was still yummy!