The recipe for Hummingbird Cake, a southern tradition like Red Velvet Cake, was first submitted by a reader to Southern Living magazine and published in the February 1978 issue. Here’s that first printed recipe for Hummingbird Cake.

There was no explanation of the name (we have it below), but Food Timeline cites a 1985 article in the Arkansas Gazette that says the cake also was called Cake That Doesn’t Last, Cake That Won’t Last, Granny’s Best Cake and Never Ending Cake. (We’re down with Hummingbird Cake.)

Originally made as a layer cake (but also made into cupcakes), the batter includes bananas, crushed pineapple, and pecans or walnuts. The cake is filled and frosted with cream cheese frosting and typically topped with more chopped nuts. Think banana nut cake with pineapple and cinnamon.

It’s popular for Mother’s Day, but why not make one for Dad?
 
 
> The history of Hummingbird Cake is below.

> The history of cake.

> The different types of cake, in our Cake Glossary.
 
 
RECIPE: HUMMINGBIRD COFFEE CAKE

This recipe is by Annie for GoBoldWithButter.com. She adapted the layer cake into a brunch coffee cake.

Annie writes: “This year I decided to put a brunch-worthy spin on this classic Mother’s Day cake. The banana, pineapple, and yogurt all ensure that this cake stays moist and tender. This cake is very simple to put together and is a lovely contribution for any brunch, Mother’s Day or otherwise.”

She incorporated better-for-you ingredients, including whole wheat flour and low-fat yogurt. (It’s not a healthy recipe, but every little bit helps!)

Ingredients For 1 Cake/16 Servings

For The Cake

 
For The Glaze

 
For The Garnish

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Thoroughly butter a bundt pan. Coat the inside with flour, tapping out the excess.

2. COMBINE 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Whisk to blend; set aside.

3. COMBINE butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla and coconut extracts. Beat in the yogurt until well incorporated.

4. TURN the mixer to low speed and beat in half of the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas and then the remaining dry ingredients, again mixing just until incorporated. With a silicone spatula, gently fold in the coconut and chopped pineapple.

5. TRANSFER the batter to the prepared Bundt pan and smooth it into an even layer. Bake, rotating halfway through baking until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 50-55 minutes. Let it cool for 20-30 minutes in the pan placed on a wire rack. Gently loosen the cake from the sides of the pan with a knife, and carefully turn it out onto the cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool completely.

6. MAKE the glaze: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. If the glaze is too thin, whisk in more confectioners’ sugar. If the glaze is too thick, whisk in additional milk 1 teaspoon at a time. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake. Sprinkle with shredded coconut and chopped nuts for garnish. Let glaze set before slicing and serving.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

Many people think of Hummingbird Cake as an invention of the southern U.S. But according to chef Jamie Oliver, “The giveaway to the Hummingbird cake’s birthplace…is in the key ingredients: bananas and pineapple.”

[1] Hummingbird Cake, a traditional southern layer cake, is reinterpreted as a coffee bundt cake. The recipe is below (photo © Go Bold With Butter).

[2] A classic Hummingbird Cake (photo © Allen Brothers).

[3] Whether you put them on top, around the side, and/or in the filling, pecans are a must. Here’s the recipe (photo © Southern Living).

[4] You can make a simple two-layer cake. Here’s the recipe (photo © McCormick).

[5] Or go fancy with four layers. Here are different ways to enjoy the flavors of Hummingbird Cake (photo © Southern Weddings).

[5] The swallow-tailed hummingbird, for whom Hummingbird Cake was named (photo © Dave Curtis | eBird | Macaulay Library).

Originally, it was called the “Doctor Bird Cake,”, a nickname for a Jamaican variety of hummingbird called swallow-tailed hummingbird*.

Why Doctor Bird? The bird probes flowers with its long beak, which inspired the original namer who thought it resembled a doctor inspecting a patient.

In 1968, the Jamaican Tourist Board launched a marketing campaign to attract U.S. tourists. The press kits contained a few recipes from the island, including one for the Doctor Bird Cake.

Over the next few years, similar recipes appeared in local papers and community cookbooks across the South under various different names, including “Cake That Doesn’t Last” (presumably because it’s so good, it quickly gets consumed.

Most food historians agree the first printed recipe for Hummingbird cake was by one Mrs. L. H. Wiggin, who sent the recipe to Southern Living magazine, which published it in February 1978.

But even before then, there are countless references to Hummingbird Cake in county fair reports and baking competitions across southern America.

So who turned the doctor bird into the hummingbird? We have yet to uncover that tidbit of culinary history.
 
 
________________
 
*The swallow tail hummingbird (Trochilus Polytmus and Eupetomena macroura), is one of the largest of the 320 species of hummingbirds. It lives only in Jamaica. [source].
 
 

[2] Mac and cheese: who resist (photo © Mackenzie Ltd).

[3] Fried chicken is a perennial favorite (photo © Honey Butter Fried Chicken | Chicago).

December 5th is National Comfort Food Day.

A tweet from FoodTimeline.org sent us to the site to drill down on the origins of comfort food.

According to the site, the first record in print is in the magazine section of the Washington Post of December 25, 1977: “Along with grits, one of the comfort foods of the South is black-eyed peas.”

Judith Olney’s book Comforting Food, published in 1979, began the discussion.

There is no single definition or list of “comfort food.”

Food psychologists note that provide solace and food feelings, and are typically items our loved ones cooked for us when we were children.

Thus, favorite comfort foods are based on where you grew up and your heritage; for example, hush puppies or grits for Mississippians and bagels and lox or cheesecake for New Yorkers.

Typically, comfort foods are:

 
 
AMERICA’S FAVORITE COMFORT FOODS

Here’s what comes up on the list of all-American comfort foods on About.com. In alphabetical order, we present what would be quite a buffet feast of the 25 top comfort foods:

 
 
Hey, what happened to grilled cheese and rice pudding?

Is your favorite on the list?

Some people prefer a banana, others an apple. Our go-to hand fruit is a bright, juicy orange. We eat enough of them to engender the question of how to repurpose the peel.

Beyond zesting and making candied orange peel, we published a piece on what to do with leftover orange peels around the house.

But with the arrival of warmer weather this spring, another use emerged. We found ourselves brewing lots of iced tea. One day, we were drinking a glass while peeling an orange.

And then, like the apocryphal story of the boy with the chocolate running into the boy with peanut butter (voilà: peanut butter cups), we put the two together.

And, it’s a nutritional powerhouse, considered one of the world’s healthiest foods.

So how about gingerbread-lemon buns for a weekend brunch dessert?

“I’ve got one killer dessert recipe burning a hole in my pocket and I can’t wait to share it much longer,” says Hannah. Never mind the unattractive appearance, because this baked delight has inner beauty hidden within every fold.

“Singing out with the depth and soul that only dark, sticky molasses can bring to the table, these are not your average plain Jane cinnamon rolls. Boldly spiced, with ginger taking the clear lead, cinnamon is still invited to the party; but it is no longer the sole center of attention.”

A final tip from Hannah:

Cinnamon buns with a big hit of ginger. Photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog.

“Don’t confine yourself to just orange or lime zest. Use grapefruit, tangerine or any other fresh citrus you have at hand.”

 
RECIPE: GINGERBREAD LEMON BUNS

Ingredients For 9-12 Buns

For The Gingerbread Dough

 
*Wheat gluten is used to help the stretchiness of the dough.

 
Preparation

1. HEAT the milk in a microwave safe bowl for a minute to warm, but do not bring it to a boil. Stir in the yeast and let is sit for about 5 minutes until frothy and active. Once re-awakened, pour the yeast mixture into a stand mixer, along with the sugar, oil and molasses. Mix to combine.

2. WHISK together in a separate bowl the first 3 cups of flour, spices, optional wheat gluten and salt. Make sure that all the dry goods are thoroughly distributed and there are no large pockets of unblended spices remaining.

4. CONTINUE to knead the dough with the mixer for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. You could also knead it by hand; just take 15 minutes to do so. Place the dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic, and let rest in a warm area for about 1-1/2 hours, until doubled in size.

5. PUNCH down the dough and turn it out on to a well-floured surface. Roll it out into a rectangle of about 14 x 18 inches. Brush generously with the melted margarine. Combine the sugar and zest in a small bowl before sprinkling the mixture evenly over the entire surface. Starting from one of the shorter ends, roll the rectangle up as tightly as possible, pinching the seam shut when you reach the other end.

6. CUT the roll into 1-1/2-inch pieces, using a very sharp knife. Fit them into a lightly grease 9 x 9-inch pan, spacing them as evenly as possible. Begin preheating your oven to 350°F; allow the rolls to rise for 45 to 60 minutes before putting them in the hot oven.

7. BAKE for 25-35 minutes, until golden brown all over. Let cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in.

[1] As much fun as the country fair, but tastier: your own grilled potatoes on a stick (photo © Stix Mediterranean Grill | New York City [permanently closed]).

[2] Yukon Gold potatoes (photo © Bonnie Plants).

Grilled potatoes on a stick: What fun!

We expanded on this idea from Stix Mediterranean Grill in New York City and created this recipe, which was a hit on Memorial Day.

Stix flavored the skewers Greek-stye, with crumbled feta cheese and oregano (shown in the photo).

We made them more colorful, alternating the potato slices with copacetic ingredients: grape tomatoes, gherkins, and olives. You can add whatever you like, from colorful bell pepper strips to pearl onions. For kids of all ages, how about frankfurter chunks?

We left the skins on the potatoes: better nutrition and no peeling time!
 
 
RECIPE: GRILLED POTATO SKEWERS

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. BOIL potatoes to an al dente consistency.

2. DRAIN and set aside. When cool to touch, halve the potatoes and thread onto skewers, alternate potatoes with cherry tomatoes, gherkins, olives, etc.

3. GRILL and serve hot, with or without a dipping sauce.