Hummingbird Cupcakes

Hummingbird cupcakes are a Southern favorite made with a delicious combination of bananas, pineapple, nuts, cinnamon, and cream cheese frosting. Best of all, this recipe is easier than you think!

Hummingbird cake is a fabulous Southern dessert that has been around for ages, and this recipe puts all that deliciousness into convenient cupcake form. It’s a bit of an odd combination, with cinnamon, pineapple, pecans, bananas, but it’s exceptionally good. It’s a bit like eating banana bread with cream cheese frosting, only better!

Why You’ll Love This Hummingbird Cupcake Recipe

• Easy to put together. There’s nothing difficult or fussy about making these hummingbird cupcakes, and even the frosting can be slathered on with an offset spatula if you’re not in the mood for piping!
• Old-fashioned favorite. If you grew up in the South, these cupcakes will feel like a taste of home. Like coconut cake and Italian cream cake, they’re a classic Southern recipe.
• Perfect for a party. Cupcakes are always an excellent choice for get-togethers because they’re perfectly portioned (no slicing and serving needed!) and don’t require any silverware.

What You’ll Need

Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

For the Cake:

• All-purpose flour – Here’s how to measure flour.
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Granulated sugar – There’s quite a bit of sugar in this recipe, but don’t be put off—we’re making 3 dozen cupcakes here!
• Ground cinnamon – For a flavor reminiscent of carrot cake.
• Eggs – Beat the eggs before adding them to the recipe.
• Oil – Vegetable or canola oil are good choices, as they have a neutral flavor.
• Vanilla extract – I like to use my homemade vanilla extract.
• Crushed pineapple – This adds tropical flavor, but it also makes these hummingbird cupcakes supremely moist.
• Pecans – Since you’ll be chopping them anyway, buy pecan pieces, which are less expensive than halves.
• Bananas – Unlike when making banana bread, you don’t want completely brown bananas; you’ll be chopping them, so they should have some substance to them and not be mushy.
• Garnishes – Chopped pecans or sanding sugar are the perfect finishing touch.

For the Frosting:

• Cream cheese – Use the full-fat blocks, not the kind that comes in a tub.
• Unsalted butter 
• Confectioners’ sugar – Also known as powdered sugar.
• Vanilla extract

How to Make Hummingbird Cupcakes

• Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350°F, then grease and flour 36 standard-sized muffin cups, or line them with paper liners.
• Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl. 
• Finish the batter. Add the eggs and oil to the flour mixture, stirring until they’re moistened. Then, stir in the vanilla, pineapple, pecans, and bananas.

• Bake. Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool. Let the cupcakes cool in the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove them from the pans and set them directly on the wire racks to finish cooling. (Learn more: Why Every Baker Needs Wire Cooling Racks)
• Make the frosting. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to beat the cream cheese and butter until they’re creamy. Slowly beat in the sugar until the frosting is light and fluffy, then stir in the vanilla.
• Finish. Frost the cooled hummingbird cupcakes and garnish, if desired.

Variations

• Try another frosting. White chocolate frosting, brown butter frosting, or maple cream cheese frosting would all work well for these hummingbird cupcakes.
• Make them nut-free. You can omit the nuts if you’re not a fan or if you or someone you’re baking for has an allergy.
• More garnish ideas. Top each cupcake with a candied nut, add white chocolate curls to the top, garnish with dried pineapple, sprinkle cinnamon or cinnamon sugar over the frosting—don’t be afraid to get creative!

How to Store

Store your hummingbird cupcakes in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Let them sit at room temperature before serving.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

It’s best to freeze these hummingbird cakes unfrosted, then make the frosting and frost them when you’re ready to serve them. If you have already frosted them, they can still be frozen, though; place them on a sheet pan and freeze them until the frosting is solid.

Store frosted or unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Unfrosted cupcakes can be thawed at room temperature, while frosted cupcakes should be thawed in the refrigerator.

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