Hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing

Serves 12
Preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 1 hour

3 cups plain flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons bi-carb soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon or garam masala
3 eggs
1½ cups neutral flavoured oil, rice bran or grape seed
1½ teaspoon vanilla extract
250g crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped banana

Cream cheese icing
125g butter
250g cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
500g icing sugar

1.      Pre-heat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).  Grease and flour a 25cm cake tin and line the base with a circle of baking paper. Set aside.

2.      Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.

3.      Combine eggs, oil and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and beat lightly until combined.

4.      Add egg and oil mixture to dry ingredients with crushed pineapple and its juice and banana.  Mix until just combined.

5.      Pour batter into prepared cake tin.  Bake for 1 hour or a skewer inserted is removed dry with no clinging batter.  Cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing horizontally into two or three. Sandwich the cake with some of the icing and top with the remainder.

6.      For icing: beat or process together butter, cream cheese, vanilla and icing sugar. Add a little milk or hot water if it is too stiff.

Lyndey's note: This cake will keep fresh for up to 4 days and can also be frozen un-iced for up to four months.

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