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hummingbird sheet cake

Hummingbird Sheet Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Icing & Candied Pecans

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A Jamaican original becomes an easy-to-make sheet cake, complete with citrus infused cream cheese icing.

  • Serves: 12 |
    12 servings
  • Difficulty:

  • Prep Time : 20 mins |
  • Cook Time : 20 mins
Categories: Baking, Cakes, Cakes, Teatime
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Cake

125 g butter
¼ C (60 ml) white sugar
¼ C (60 ml) demerara sugar
3 large eggs
½ C (125 ml) LANCEWOOD® Double Cream Plain Yoghurt
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 C (500 ml) cake flour
1 tsp (5 ml) bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp (10 ml) cinnamon
1 tsp (5 ml) mixed spice
3 ripe bananas, mashed well
½ C (125 ml) tinned crushed pineapple, drained
1 small orange, peeled (without any pith) and finely chopped
100 g pecan nuts, roughly chopped

Orange Cream Cheese Icing

125 g butter, at room temperature
1 x 250 g tub LANCEWOOD® Full Fat Cream Cheese
400 g icing sugar, sifted
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange

Candied Pecans

100 g castor sugar
3 Tbsp (45 ml) water
100 g pecan nuts
¼ tsp (1,25 ml) salt

29 x 21 cm rectangle baking tin

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC.

Line a 29 x 21 cm rectangle baking tin with baking paper, allowing it to curve up the sides both width and length-wise. Spraying the tin with a little non-stick spray helps the paper stick in place. 

Add the butter and sugars to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, yoghurt and vanilla and mix to combine. Add the flour, bicarb of soda, cinnamon and mixed spice and mix until there is no dry flour but do not overmix. Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and fold in the banana, pineapple, orange and chopped nuts. 

Pour the cake batter into the lined cake tin and place into the oven to cook for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Allow the cake to cool completely and then use the paper edges to lift the cake out of the tin. Alternatively, invert a cooling rack over the tin and ease the cake out. Because the sheet cake is larger than average, you need to work carefully so as not to break it.

Cream Cheese Icing

Add the butter to a stand mixer and mix briefly to combine – note it must be room temperature. Once the butter is smooth, add the cream cheese and beat to combine. 

Add the sifted icing sugar in 3 batches and mix until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and orange zest and mix until you have a glossy cream cheese icing. It is a good idea to let the icing firm up in the fridge slightly before icing. 

Candied Pecans

Add the water and sugar to a non-stick pan and place it over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until the water boils away and the sugar starts to turn golden brown. Add the nuts and stir to coat; continue cooking until the caramel is a rich golden brown. 

Tip the caramelised nuts out onto a baking paper-lined tray that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Allow to cool completely, then chop the nuts into smaller pieces resembling a crumble.  

Dollop the cream cheese icing onto the cooled cake and use a spatula to spread it around evenly. Decorate with chopped candied pecans, slice and serve.