Hummingbird Upside-Down Bundt Cake

Moist and full of sweet banana and pineapple flavor, this Hummingbird Upside- Down Bundt Cake is a delicious, mouth-watering dessert you'll want to serve for any and all occasions.

Bundt cakes are always a popular dessert. They're decorative without being fussy, and you can dress them up or down, depending on your preferences. For example, my Double Chocolate Cherry Bundt Cake is perfection with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar over the top. For frosting fans, check out my Gingerbread Zucchini Bundt Cake with Ginger Lemon Buttercream Frosting. 

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Jump to:

• The ingredient list:
• Ingredient information:
• Kitchen tools and equipment:
• How this recipe came to be:
• What is the origin of hummingbird cake?
• What is the flavor of a traditional hummingbird cake?
• What is the purpose of baking in a Bundt pan?
• How to store a hummingbird Bundt cake:
• Can Hummingbird Upside Down Bundt Cake be frozen after baking?
• How many servings does a Bundt cake provide?
• Can this upside-down cake's "poke portion and filling" be omitted?
• Are the pecans mandatory for this hummingbird cake?
• How long does it take to bake an upside-down Bundt cake?
• Can pans of other sizes be used to make this recipe?
• Renee's top tips for recipe success:
• Additional doctored cake mix recipes:
• Printable Recipe Card

The ingredient list:

Ingredient information:

YELLOW CAKE MIX - I used Betty Crocker's Super Moist yellow cake mix, but feel free to use your favorite yellow box cake mix or spice cake mix, even if it's not Betty's. 

BROWN SUGAR—Use dark brown sugar for a darker, richer sweetness. Use light brown sugar for a lighter sweetness. The darker the brown sugar, the more molasses it contains. Either brown sugar is fine for this recipe since it is used for the topping alone and not within the cake itself.

LARGE EGGS - Room-temperature eggs are easier to blend into a batter than cold, straight-from-the-fridge eggs. Running cold eggs under warm running water for a short while will quickly bring them to room temperature.

PINEAPPLE RINGS AND JUICE—Get the pineapple rings that come in pineapple juice, not water or light syrup. You need to reserve the juice from the can for several other parts of the recipe, and you want the most flavorful pineapple juice possible.

BUTTER - I prefer using salted butter with all my baking and cooking. However, if you like using unsalted butter, that's perfectly fine to use in this recipe. 

OVER-RIPE BANANAS—This cake requires approximately 1 cup of mashed bananas, which roughly equals 2 medium bananas. You'll know they're overripe when they develop many brown spots and are soft when applying gentle pressure.

SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK—This ingredient, along with some pineapple juice, is poured into the holes of the cake after baking, turning it into an upside-down "poke cake." Poke cakes became popular in the 1970s, so even though I don't know the exact date of this recipe from the cookbook, I'm guessing it's from the 1970s or 80s.

CONFECTIONERS SUGAR—This ingredient, whisked with a small amount of pineapple juice, will make the glaze/icing to top the cake. Smooth icing is best achieved by first sifting the confectioner's sugar to remove lumps.

CHOPPED PECANS—For the most flavorful nuts, toast the nuts in a dry skillet for 1 - 2 minutes over medium-low heat. Of course, if desired, the pecans can be totally omitted from this recipe or substituted for another type of chopped nut.

GROUND CINNAMON and GRATED (OR GROUND) NUTMEG - These ingredients give the cake a spice-like flavor, indicative of the original Jamaican Hummingbird cake.

Kitchen tools and equipment:

• hand mixer or stand mixer
• mixing bowls
• small microwave safe bowl (for melting butter)
• whisk
• spatula
• can opener
• strainer (optional, for draining the juice from the canned pineapple rings) Make sure to reserve the drained juice.
• offset spatula
• paring knife (optional, for cutting the pineapple rings)
• cutting board (for preparing the pineapple rings)
• pastry blender or potato masher (for mashing bananas)
• measuring cups and spoons
• Bundt pan
• small skillet (for toasting pecans)
• nut chopper (optional)
• wooden spoon (for poking holes in cake)
• cake tester or toothpick
• cooling rack
• oven gloves
• kitchen timer
• baking spray with flour

How this recipe came to be:

This upside-down Bundt cake is not one of my original recipes, as stated in our video inside the recipe card. It is a recipe from the Betty Crocker Lost Recipes Cookbook, which is found on page 226.

What is the origin of hummingbird cake?

The first hummingbird cake was created in Jamaica and named after the island's national bird, the scissors-tail hummingbird, also known as the doctor bird.

In 1968, the Jamaica tourist board sent the hummingbird cake recipe to the United States to generate interest among American tourists in visiting Jamaica.

The first known publication of Hummingbird Cake in the US was in Southern Living Magazine in 1978. Later that same year, the cake was voted "Most Favorite Cake" at the Kentucky State Fair. 

Hummingbird cake is primarily known as a Southern dessert, and in 1990, it was granted the great honor of being Southern Living's most requested recipe throughout the magazine's history. 

What is the flavor of a traditional hummingbird cake?

Historically, a hummingbird cake is a layer cake flavored with bananas, crushed pineapple, pecans, and finished with a sweet cream cheese frosting.

What is the purpose of baking in a Bundt pan?

Besides making baked goods attractive once inverted, the hole in the center of the Bundt pan helps the pan's contents cook faster due to increased heat absorption, resulting from both baking from the inside out and from the outside in.

How to store a hummingbird Bundt cake:

Refrigerate the cake, wrapped well or covered with a cake dome, for up to 5 days.

Allow the cake to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving for the very best flavor.

Can Hummingbird Upside Down Bundt Cake be frozen after baking?

Yes, it can!

Wrap individual cake slices well in wax paper and store them inside zip-top freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Or, wrap the entire cake well in plastic wrap and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

How many servings does a Bundt cake provide?

Between 12-14 servings.

The nutritional information for this particular recipe is based on 12 servings, as I trust you will want a decent-sized slice.

Can this upside-down cake's "poke portion and filling" be omitted?

If you're looking for a tasty cake that is moderately sweet, skip the poke portion and the filling step. The cake without the "filling" will still be yummy, just not as sweet and moist as the cake with the sweetened condensed milk.

Plus, if you want to save time, you'll save 2 hours without the filling and chilling step. 

It's entirely your call!

Are the pecans mandatory for this hummingbird cake?

No, not at all. If you're not a fan of pecans, by all means, leave them out. However, a traditional hummingbird cake does include chopped pecans. 

But, since this is a Hummingbird Upside-Down Bundt Cake and not at all traditional, feel free to do away with the pecans or swap them out with your favorite variety of chopped nuts.

How long does it take to bake an upside-down Bundt cake?

Approximately 40-45 minutes in a 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven.

Please be aware, however, the baked cake will need to chill for 2 hours after the "filling" has been poured over the poke-holes in the cake.

Can pans of other sizes be used to make this recipe?

Yes. The directions remain the same no matter what size pan you use, but be aware that the bake time will differ with each size. 

Watch the cake closely and remove it from the oven once it is golden and when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Renee's top tips for recipe success:

1. Don't forget to add the melted butter into the cake mix batter (see video) before baking. Do as I say, not as I do! lol
2. After cooling the cake for 2 hours in the refrigerator, run an offset spatula or butter knife around the perimeter and the center hole of the Bundt pan to loosen the cake for an easy release.
3. Flip the loosened cake with authority onto a cake plate or cake stand. If the cake senses any nervousness or trepidation at this point, the flip itself could go terribly wrong. Just kidding. Sort of.
4. For a pretty presentation, garnish the cake with the remaining pineapple rings and sprigs of fresh mint.

Additional doctored cake mix recipes:

Coconut Cake Cookies are wonderfully flavored and exceptionally pretty cookies. They utilize box cake mix and even doctored canned frosting if desired. However, my recipe for coconut buttercream frosting is included with this recipe. 

Bacon Root Beer Bundt Cake is a uniquely flavored cake with a boxed spice cake mix. It may sound really odd (and it is), but bacon, spice cake, and root beer fit surprisingly well together. Try it for yourself!

Printable Recipe Card

I sincerely hope you'll enjoy making (and eating) this hummingbird Bundt cake with banana and pineapple.