Happy New Year to all my beloved readers. I wish you all a joyful and peaceful year ahead. Today I'm going to blog about a moist, flavorful and decadent cupcake recipe. Do not expect anything healthy because it's loaded with butter, sugar and calories. And that makes hummingbird cake absolutely delicious! Usually when I see a recipe I always think about the healthy modifications I can make but not for this one.
I just let go everything and decided to bake and enjoy it as it is with respect to the fat and sugar content and white flour. I did use unsweetened applesauce and plain yogurt as egg substitutes. I also used cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.
The reason for the name Hummingbird cake is not known but one guess is the cake is as sweet as the nectar a hummingbird would like to feed on. And that's absolutely true because these cupcakes are very sweet. I saw this recipe for Hummingbird cake here when I was looking for recipes using banana.
I had a lot of overripe bananas and wanted to bake something new other than the vegan banana bread, vegan double chocolate banana cupcakes and banana chocolate chip muffins I usually bake. At first I was a bit hesitant after looking the fat and sugar content but decided to go with it anyhow. No wonder I received a lot of compliments from my family and friends.
Recipe
Egg-Free Hummingbird Cupcakes
Ingredients
Ingredients - PART 1:
- 1 cup Butter softened
- 2 cups White Sugar
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ¼ cup Yogurt I used plain 2%
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider Vinegar
Ingredients - PART 2:
- 2 cups Bananas mashed
- ½ cup Pineapple crushed, drained
Ingredients - PART 3:
- 3 cups Cake Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Ingredients - PART 4:
- 1 cup Coconut flaked, unsweetened
- 1 and ¾ cups Pecans toasted and chopped
FROSTING INGREDIENTS:
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese I used light - 1 packet
- ½ cup Butter softened
- 3-¾ cups Confectioner's Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Procedure for Cupcake:
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C for 15 minutes. Line two 12 cup muffin tins with paper liners. While the oven is heating, place the pecans on a cookie sheet and toast it in the oven for 5-7 minutes, stirring it once or twice in the middle. Stay alert so that the pecans don't burn. After about 6 or 7 minutes, remove the sheet out of the oven and let the nuts cool. Coarsely chop the nuts and set aside.
- In a smaller bowl combine together the mashed bananas and crushed pineapple. While mashing the bananas you can add a tablespoon of water or milk to make the mashing easier. In a medium size bowl stir together the Part 3 dry ingredients and set aside.
- In another large bowl cream together the butter and sugar using an electric beater. Stir in the applesauce, yogurt, vanilla extract and vinegar. Beat it for another 2 minutes. The mixture will look curdled, but don't worry about that.
- Now add the fruit mixture and flour mix alternately, mixing well after each addition. Do not use the mixer for this. A spatula or wooden spoon is just enough.
- Once the batter comes along well, stir in the coconut and 1 cup of pecans and mix until just combined.
- Scoop out ¼th-⅓rd cup of batter in each muffin cup. I used a standard size ice cream scoop for this and it was perfect.
- Bake it for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cupcake comes out clean. I tested just after 20 minutes and it was done. Do not over-bake it because the cupcakes will not be moist and you will end up with dry cupcakes. Cool it completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Procedure for Frosting:
- In a medium size bowl cream together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and beat until smooth.
- Frost the cupcakes and top it with the balance ¾th cup of toasted and chopped pecans. (See My Notes)
My Notes
- You can very well reduce the quantity of sugar by ¼-1/2 cup, especially if you are going to frost the cupcakes. We use a lot of bananas and the pineapple also adds to the sugar content.
- The original hummingbird cake recipe had used all-purpose flour but I chose to go with cake flour because we are not using eggs and it did definitely pay off. The cupcakes had an amazing texture. So I don't know if the cupcakes would turn out so light and fluffy with all-purpose flour.
- The next time I bake this cake, I'm going to omit the coconut. Everybody else loved the flavor of the cupcakes but I personally would prefer a coconut free version.
- The recipe for cream cheese frosting makes a LOT of frosting. Maybe it's just me, because we do not prefer very sweet stuff. I did not frost all the 24 cupcakes but even if I had, I still would have leftover frosting unless and otherwise I slather the cupcakes with all the frosting. I frosted about 12 cupcakes but I did not go overboard with it. So I think it depends upon how much you use per cupcake. But no worries, cream cheese frosting keeps good for 2-3 months in the refrigerator, which I found out while making this vegan pumpkin roll.
Nutrition
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Varsha Sakhrani says
Looked fine from the outside but it wasn't cooked on the inside 🙁
Madhuram says
I'm wondering if the oven was preheated well enough.
Shikha says
This was so amazing!! My eggless cakes never come out this good! What an amazing recipe.
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for the feedback, Shikha.
Shikha Sharma says
Hi! I don’t have apple cider vinegar, only white vinegar. Can I use this? Thank you!
Madhuram says
Yes, you can, Shikha.
arshdeep says
Hi,
Can i make 2 tier cake from the same recipe
Madhuram says
Yes you can, Arshdeep.
Jessie Henderson-McBean says
I made these cupcakes last night to take to a BBQ! The host is allergic to eggs so I wanted to find something egg free and delicious! These are perfect!!
My boyfriend declared them THE BEST CUPCAKE HE HAS EVER EATEN! I bake a lot (with eggs and all), so that’s saying something!!
This is a fabulous recipe! Only modification I made is that I added raisins. Thank you so much!!
Madhuram says
Thank you very much for trying the recipe, Jessie. That was wonderful feedback.
Karen says
I’ve never made an eggless cake but my granddaughter is allergic so I’m wanting to try your recipe. It sounds so yummy! Do you think this would be suitable to cut into ears and such to build a bunny cake? Will it hold together after being cut? Thank you!
Madhuram says
I'm not sure, Karen. I don't want to comment without actually trying it. Also it's been a few years since I made this cake so don't remember the texture.
Maryann LeVine says
Happy Blog Anniversary month Madhuram! This recipe is so yummy! I’ve made it twice now, and it comes out perfectly. I make it vegan style by using Earth Balance butter substitute, non-dairy yogurt, and vegan frosting. Thank you for delicious recipes that are tried and true. ❤️
Madhuram says
Aww...that's so nice of you to wish, Maryann. Thank you so much for trying the recipe and taking the time to leave feedback.
elisabeth says
Also, I've used 1/4 cup of yogurt + 1 tsp baking powder to replace each egg successfully in pancakes before. Is that a good option for the hummingbird cake egg substitute? Thanks!
Madhuram says
I think it should work Elisabeth.
elisabeth says
Hi Madhuram, Thank you so much for your amazing egg-free information! Sorry to ask a question about this recipe so far after you posted this, but which ingredients were used as egg substitutes? Just the applesauce or was it the applesauce combined with the yogurt? I'm wanting to substitute eggs in Martha Stewart's hummingbird cake that I make into cupcakes for my daughter' birthday every year. Now that I know I can't digest eggs, I want to be able to eat them! Thank you so much for any insights you can provide. http://www.marthastewart.com/256215/hummingbird-cupcakes
Madhuram says
You're welcome Elisabeth. Yes I have used unsweetened applesauce and yogurt as egg substitutes. I checked Martha's recipe and it also uses 3 eggs which can be replaced with 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup yogurt. Pureed silken tofu instead of applesauce is also fine.
Nell Matthews says
Made about 80 mini cupcakes. Frosted each with a swirl of icing and still have half a cup left over. Off to feed the chorus at snack time.
Madhuram says
Great!
Nell Matthews says
I make this recipe often. Using mini cupcake papers, I get around 78 minis. Because I was only feeding a few, last time, I cut recipe by half, but by accident, cut butter by 4 (1/4 cup) and recipe came out just fine. Crumb was tender and held together nicely. I also brushed tops of cupcakes with butter and sprinkled decorative sugar over before baking. Gave a nice crusty top that sparkled. Was a little less sweet without the cream cheese icing which suited the older crowd I was feeding.
Madhuram says
That's great to know Nell. Will keep in mind for the next time I bake. Thanks for the feedback.
Justine says
I am hoping to use this as a birthday cake- maybe two 9" rounds stacked- do you think it would work or is it likely to fall apart like so many egg free cakes? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Madhuram says
Hi Justine, be sure to line the pans with parchment paper and you should be able to get the cakes off the pan without falling part. Hope you are giving enough cooling time before inverting the pan.
Justine says
Thanks! Do I just line the bottom of the pan and then grease the sides? That would be my guess... I can let them cool 1 hour or more before turning- I will be making the cake the day before the party. Thank you!
Madhuram says
That's right Justine. Lightly grease the sides. Since you are using parchment paper the cakes comes off easily in as little as 20 minutes. Also keep in mind that the baking time will vary because you are using a different size pan.
usha singh says
Hi Madhu, All the very best for 2013. I love all of your eggless recipes & have tried a number of them--will most certainly try this one.
Jahnu says
Dear Madhu,
How are you? Happy New Year & thank you very much for the wishes.
Humming bird cup cake look so delicious & yummy. I am going to try this for my G. daughter's birthday on 8th. Want to make more to give for all her friends. Thank you so much for this eggless recipe dear.
Madhuram says
I'm fine and thanks Jahnu. Advance birthday wishes to your daughter.
Roma says
Happy New Year, Madhuram!! May this year bring lots more yummy bakes....
Katarina says
Thank you, sounds yummy! Will try this! 🙂 My grandchild has allergi to eggs, so I am grateful for all egg free ( and healthy)recipes!
Madhuram says
You're welcome Katarina.
Uma says
Thank you for the wishes and wishing you a very happy new year as well. How have you been Madhu? Long time!!
The cupcakes look so soft and delicious. Who cares about the calories? A great start for the new year 🙂