The BEST Hummingbird Cake Recipe with Cream Cheese Frosting (2024)

FAQs

Why is my hummingbird cake dense? ›

You want to take care not to accidentally over-mix the batter or the cake could end up dense and dry, or even rubbery (like over-mixed banana pancakes). Bake. Make sure to thoroughly grease and flour your cake tins or use a baking spray (make sure it's one that contains flour).

An equal ratio of butter to cream cheese yields a super smooth, spreadable frosting, while still maintaining the distinctive tangy flavor.

Cream cheese frosting will be thin and runny if you're not careful about the type of cream cheese you use. Make sure you use an 8 ounce (226g) brick of full-fat cream cheese, not low-fat cream cheese and not cream cheese spread sold in a tub. Save cream cheese spread for bagels and low fat cream cheese for cooking.

Created in Jamaica where the dessert is called the doctor bird cake (or Dr. Bird cake), it is named after the island's national bird, the scissors-tail hummingbird (locally known as the doctor bird).

One of the key factors that can lead to dense cakes is the incorrect ratio of ingredients. Baking is a science, and even a small deviation from the recipe can have a big impact on the final texture of your cake. Too much flour or not enough leavening agents like baking powder can result in a dense cake.

To help prevent a dry, dense cake, let's add a creamy and light wet ingredient. Milk is usually required in a cake recipe to thin out the batter and lighten up the crumb, but sour cream is often overlooked. In addition to milk, add a Tablespoon or 2 of sour cream.

For a frosting that's super versatile and easy to work with, choose buttercream for your cakes and cupcakes. Buttercream is the go-to frosting for professional bakers due to its creamy texture and thick consistency which makes it perfect for piping, spreading, and filling.

Empty a can of frosting into a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar with a mixer, adding more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Add a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness of the added sugar and any flavorings.

How to thicken cream cheese frosting. If the consistency is too thin or runny you can put the frosting mixture in the fridge for up to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.If it's still too thin, take out some of the runny mixture and beat in some more cream cheese.

For a (16-ounce) tub of frosting, anywhere from ½ cup to 1 cup of crunchy additions will do the trick. Toasted nuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips or chunks, halvah, and toffee will all add a fun new dimension of flavor. Stir in chopped up canned pineapple or fresh berries for an extra fruity kick.

Is Philadelphia cream cheese spread the same as Philadelphia cream cheese? ›

Cream cheese spread is a softer, more spreadable version of traditional cream cheese. It often contains additional ingredients such as herbs, spices, or fruits to enhance the flavor and make it easier to spread on bread, crackers, or bagels.

Cream cheese is the answer. "Mix in an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese," says Johnson. "The tartness will also help take away the excess sweetness of store-bought frosting."

Another story tells of a dim sum chef's wife creating a pastry with wintermelon paste influenced by a recipe from her mother's family. The new pastry was found to taste better than the dim sums that were being sold in teahouses, and the chef proudly told everyone it was made by his wife, hence it was named "Wife Cake".

The wedding cake was originally known as the bride's cake; therefore, the color white became common because the cake needed to reflect the bride – and the expensive ingredients that the family was able to afford, such as refined white sugar. The cutting of the cake is a task full of symbolism.

This could be down to a lack of raising agent - or even old self-raising flour where the raising agent has become less effective. It also could be because you beat the air out of the mixture when you added the flour. Quick and gentle is the key to perfectly risen fairy cakes.

A cake that bakes too slowly takes longer to set and may fall, causing a dense texture.

On their own, boxed cake mixes have a structure that's loose and airy. But if you add ¼ cup flour or half a box of instant pudding mix, the texture of the cake becomes denser and tighter, ideal for a pound-cake-like consistency that will hold the shape of a Bundt pan.