Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake

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This is the Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake you have been looking for. This special occasions layer cake is bursting with bananas, fresh pineapple and pecans and lightly spiced with cinnamon. Filled and covered in a gloriously dreamy cream cheese buttercream. Here we make it with your favourite gluten-free flours for maximum flavour and perfect texture. No xanthan gum needed.

this recipe

There is something incredibly special about The Hummingbird Cake. It feels like an occasion cake, joyous with tropical fruits and spices and indulgent with your favourite cream cheese buttercream. This gluten-free version has bags of personality thanks to a unique blend of sweet rice flour, oat flour and almond flour.

🎂What is Hummingbird Cake?

Hummingbird Cake is a lightly spiced banana cake loaded with fruity crushed pineapple chunks and pecans. It is moist, packed with flavour and traditionally layered with a dreamy cream cheese buttercream.

Although it is best known as a classic Southern cake from America this delicious cake actually originated in Jamaica, hence the tropical vibe, and the original recipe was named after their island's national bird - a Doctor Bird Cake.

If you are a carrot cake fan or you love banana bread and then you’ll fall head over heels for this perfect Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake.

⭐️Why you'll love this recipe

• The flavour – think bananas, pineapple chunks, pecans, cinnamon, allspice
• The texture – this cake is a beautifully moist gluten-free cake, no dry or crumbliness here thanks to our unique blend of gluten-free flours.
• Fresh pineapple really elevates this cake into something special.
• Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting – truly buttery with the delicious tang of cream cheese and warmth of vanilla.
• No xanthan gum. Actually xanthan gum isn't needed in gluten free baking if you are using the correct blend of gluten free flours. READ MORE >>> Why I never bake with xanthan gum.

Gluten-free flours

This Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake recipe uses alternative flours rather than a supermarket bought gluten-free flour mixture so that we have control over the flavour and texture of the cake which makes for a far superior cake.

• Sweet rice flour used here for neutral flavour and sticky nature which mimics the binding properties of gluten and gives the cake lovely bounce. READ MORE >>> What is Sweet Rice Flour?
• Oat flour used here for its toasty flavour and light airy texture which makes the cake fluffy. READ MORE >>> What is Oat Flour?
• Almond flour used for its high protein content which helps with the structure of the cake. 

Flour tips

• Bob's Red Mill are an excellent brand to choose for each of the these single origin flours.
• If you are intolerant to oats then you can substitute with sorghum flour. It has a slightly grittier texture but that shouldn’t be noticeable in the context of the whole cake.
• I don't recommend using a branded all-purpose gluten-free flour instead of these flours. However, you could swap all 3 flours for the same amount of my DIY Gluten-Free Flour Blend which gives excellent results too.

📝Ingredients needed

For the cake

• Bananas. Try to avoid bananas that aren't ripe yet as they don't have enough sweetness for the cake and they are harder to combine with the other ingredients.
• Olive oil. This is my preferred oil in cakes rather than vegetable oil. But to avoid a strong flavour use a flavourless mild and light olive oil. You could use coconut oil instead.
• Caster sugar. A fine white sugar which gives lightness. You can substitute for granulated white sugar.
• Brown sugar. Adds a gentle flavour and lends a fudgy texture.
• Eggs. This recipe uses medium size, about 60g each with shell (50g each without shell).
• Vanilla extract. Use a good quality extract, I like Nilsen Massey.
• Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour).
• Oat flour. Make sure it is certified gluten-free.
• Almond flour. You can swap for ground almonds or almond meal.
• Bicarbonate of soda. Also known as baking soda, this is a white crystalline powder that is commonly used as a leavening agent in baking.
• Spices. This recipe uses cinnamon and allspice for a warm deep flavour.
• Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.
• Pecans. Make sure they are from a freshly opened packet for the best flavour.
• Fresh pineapple. You can use tinned pineapple but the flavour isn't as sparky.
• Dried banana chips. Optional for decoration

For the buttercream

• Butter. Unsalted is the best choice here. Make sure it is at room temperature.
• Icing sugar. (powdered sugar).
• Sea salt.
• Vanilla. As above.
• Cream Cheese. Use full fat cream cheese. Philadelphia is my preferred brand. In the UK you need to use the cream cheese directly from the fridge as the warmer it gets the looser the buttercream becomes. US bakers won’t have this problem.

👩‍🍳Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Beat mashed bananas with olive oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract in large mixing bowl or standing mixer on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined.
2. Whisk sweet rice flour, oat flour and almond flour together in a separate bowl with bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir in 275g of the diced pineapple and pecans until evenly dispersed.
5. Divide the cake batter between the three 8 inch round cake tins lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. Remove from tins and cool completely before decorating with buttercream

🎓Expert tips

• Use ripe bananas - You want the bananas to mash easily so they incorporate well into the sponge batter. Plus they have more flavour and more sweetness.
• Fresh Pineapple – a lot of recipes I see use tinned pineapple in the cake. This is absolutely fine if that’s all you can get hold of but I find that fresh pineapple really amps up the flavour.
• Leftover pineapple – this recipe uses about ⅔ of a fresh pineapple. Don’t let it go to waste, use the remainder of the pineapple for decorating. Dice it and place in a very low temperature oven on a parchment lined baking tray for a couple of hours to dry out so it doesn’t seep juice all over the finished cake.

Recommended equipment

• Food mixer
• Digital scales
• 8 inch round cake tins (x3)
• Cooling racks
• Small offset spatula

The Best Cream Cheese Buttercream

This Cream Cheese Buttercream is incredibly quick and easy to make with deep vanilla flavour.

1. Cream the butter and icing sugar and mix for about 10 minutes until very light and fluffy.
2. Add the cream cheese, salt and vanilla and mix again until just combined.

Expert tips

• Use the cream cheese directly from the freezer as cream cheese becomes too loose if warm and you won’t have much control when covering the cake.
• Decorate the cake as soon as you have made the buttercream then store the cake in the fridge immediately to avoid the buttercream becoming too floppy.

Should you refrigerate Hummingbird Cake?

Yes, this cake should be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

I normally advocate that cakes should be taken out of the fridge and served at room temperature and there is nothing wrong with doing that here. Except that for some reason I have taken a particular liking for this cake cold from the fridge. Wow, what a treat, especially on a warmer day.

More gluten-free cakes you'll love

• Gluten-Free Spice Cake
• Red Velvet Cake
• Traditional Carrot Cake
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake
• Lemon Raspberry Cake
• Sweet Potato Cinnamon Swirl Cake
• Easiest Gluten-Free Banana Bread
• Cinnamon Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Buttercream
• Banana Rum Caramel Cake

Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your recipe turned out and your feedback also helps other readers.

Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake

Georgina Hartley

This is the Gluten-Free Hummingbird Cake you have been looking for. Bursting with bananas, fresh pineapple and pecans and lightly spiced with cinnamon. Filled and covered in a gloriously dreamy cream cheese buttercream. Here we make it with your favourite gluten-free flours for maximum flavour and perfect texture.

5 from 5 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Course Cake

Cuisine American

Servings 16 people

Calories 880 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 300 g bananas - about (3-4), mashed
• ▢ 300 ml olive oil - mild and light
• ▢ 200 g soft light brown sugar
• ▢ 100 g caster sugar
• ▢ 3 eggs - medium
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ▢ 120 g sweet rice flour
• ▢ 100 g oat flour
• ▢ 80 g almond flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 75 g pecans - roughly chopped + 25g decoration
• ▢ 1 fresh pineapple - diced
• ▢ 25 g dried banana chips - for decoration

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• ▢ 525 g unsalted butter
• ▢ 600 g icing sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 375 g cream cheese

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan assisted oven/gas 4 and line and grease three 8 inch x 4 inch round cake tins.
• Beat the bananas with the olive oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract in large bowl or standing mixer until thoroughly combined.
• Whisk the flours together in a separate bowl with the bicarbonate of soda, spices and salt.
• Fold the flour into the wet ingredients one third at a time.
• Stir in 275g of the diced pineapple and pecans until evenly dispersed.
• Divide the batter between the three baking tins and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

• Cream the butter and icing sugar and mix for about 10 minutes until very light and fluffy.
• Add the salt and vanilla and mix again to combine.
• Finally add the cream cheese and mix until just combined.

Assembly

• Place one of the cake layers on a cake board or cake stand.
• Fill a piping bag with the buttercream. Pipe concentric circles around the top of the cake layer. Use a small spatula to smooth so it creates an even layer of buttercream.
• Place the second layer of cake on top of the buttercream then add another layer of buttercream.
• Finally place the third cake layer on top and add a final layer of buttercream.
• Pipe the rest of the buttercream around the sides of the cake and use a spatula to smooth.
• Pipe buttercream, using a piping tip of your choice, around the top of the cake.
• Decorate with dried banana, the extra pineapple (see notes below on how to dry it out) and extra pecans.

Notes

• Use ripe bananas – you want them to mash well into the batter and ripe bananas have a deeper flavour.
• Olive oil – make sure you use flavourless mild and light olive oil.
• Vanilla extract – use extract not essence for the right flavour.
• Oat flour – you can substitute for sorghum flour if you are intolerant to oats.
• Almond flour – if you can’t get hold of it you can use finely ground almonds.
• Pineapple – you can use tinned if you can’t get hold of fresh pineapple.
• Leftover pineapple – use it to decorate the cake. To avoid the juice seeping over the top dry it out in the oven. Place the diced pineapple on a lined baking tray and baked for a couple of hours in an oven set to 100°C/80°C fan assisted oven/gas ½.
• Storage – cream cheese buttercream doesn’t keep well out of the fridge so as soon as the cake is decorated then store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Freeze – this cake freezes really well for up to 2 months. If you are freezing leftover cake then I like to cut into slices to freeze.

Nutrition

Calories: 880kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 6gFat: 61gSaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 127mgSodium: 384mgPotassium: 253mgFiber: 3gSugar: 65gVitamin A: 1224IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 73mgIron: 1mg

Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!