Easy Hummingbird Cake with Cream Cheese Icing

We recently celebrated Hubby's birthday.  I decided to try out a hummingbird cake since I'd never made one and what I realized is that there's myriad ways to make it and a host of similar cakes that go by names such as Ambrosia cake, Mandarin Orange cake aka Pig Pickin' or Cotton Pickin' cake, Banana & Pineapple Cake, and my favorite moniker, "Better than Sex Cake."  Once you start down that search path on the web, you'll fast realize the similarities between these cakes.  Some are doctored up cake mixes and others are from scratch.  I made an "easy" box mix option with homemade cream cheese icing.  All versions are truly Southern treats and, in true Southern fashion, slap-your-Momma-sweet.  Enjoy~


Here's what you will need...


Ingredients
1 (18 1/4 oz) boxed white or yellow cake mix (DO NOT get the kind with pudding in it) 
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple in juice , undrained
2 medium bananas, mashed (I only had one banana since mystery mouths ate up the rest)
10 maraschino cherries, chopped
2 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I forgot to add this part, but didn't miss it)
(I added two eggs since I was short a banana.  If it hurt things, I'm couldn't tell)
1 recipe for cream cheese frosting

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  


Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combined.  Divide mixture equally between 2 greased 9" round cake pans.  


Bake on both pans on middle oven rack for approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes then remove cakes from pans and let cool completely on wax paper lined wire racks.  


Place one cake on a plate and frost with cream cheese frosting, taking care to make it heavier on top.  Place the remaining cake on top of the frosted cake to create a layer cake.  Frost the top layer so it blends with the bottom layer.  NOTE: If the cakes are not flat on the top, use a long knife to cut the "baking bump" off so they are flat BEFORE you frost them. It will give them a more uniform appearance.

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 block cream cheese, softened

1/2 stick butter, softened

2 cups confectioners sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese and butter 'til well combined.  Add sugar one cup at a time.  Add vanilla at the end and mix thoroughly until fluffy.


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