Hummingbird cake is composed with bananas, crushed pineapple in its juice, roasted pecans and, typically, cream cheese frosting. Because the cake itself is quite sweet, I decided to make the butter version of classic Ermine frosting, meaning without shortening. The frosting is lighter in sugar content and fluffier than cream cheese frosting. (Leftover ermine frosting is also delicious on a Dutch baby pancake. I know. I make sure to save enough frosting to have a thin layer on a couple pancakes.)
The cake was in honor of two important birthdays. My beautiful niece Miley turned 18 on Wednesday the 15th, a memorable birthday, right? (She wasn’t here, but I let her know that I was thinking about her.) The 15th also included a mahjongg afternoon with my three Chinese ladies, one celebrating her 70th birthday, another memorable event. I made the card to announce the flavors in the cake. Chun Ming took photos and sent them to her husband who is currently in Taiwan awaiting her arrival next week for a month’s holiday with family. I noted that the photo may remind him to do some shopping in the interim!
I love hummingbirds. A few years ago there was one of the species commonly known as Anna’s who seemed to follow me around, fly back and forth in front of my living room window, especially when I had my guitar on my lap and was singing and strumming. I could hear the bird’s tik-tik-tik whenever she was nearby and so I named her TikTik. My daughter, Maria, knowing I had a love for the bird, gave me the tiny Anna’s hummingbird charm.
Ms Chef in Seattle 