Recipes & Cooking Desserts & Baking Bread Quick Breads & Rolls Hummingbird Bread Is a Tropical-Inspired Breakfast 5.0 (1) 1 Review This pineapple, banana, and coconut loaf is a delicious quick bread that's good enough to serve for dessert. By Erin Hooker Erin Hooker Erin is the assistant food editor at Better Homes & Gardens, where she covers weeknight and budget cooking, along with trending copycat recipes. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process and Annie Krumhardt Peterson Annie Krumhardt Peterson Annie Krumhardt Peterson has built her career around her passion for food, working as a contributing food editor to Better Homes & Gardens® food publications for more than 15 years. She received her B.A. from Iowa State University in 2003 and completed the Better Process Control School at the University of Tennessee in 2020. She contributed to various cookbooks, including several Whole30 titles, as well as the 15th, 16th, and 17th editions of the iconic Better Homes & Gardens® New Cook Book. She also serves as Recipe Editor for Allrecipes Magazine. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on August 8, 2024 Recipe tested by Colleen Weeden Recipe tested by Colleen Weeden As a food expert, Colleen Weeden has written extensively for Better Homes & Gardens. From airfryer tips to advice on how to poach an egg, she shares her passion for food with practical, easy-to-follow tips. She has also contributed to Midwest Living magazine. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Carson Downing Prep Time: 20 mins Bake Time: 1 hr Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Servings: 10 Jump to Nutrition Facts Jump to recipe If you’re looking for a simple stir-together bread that has all the flavors you know and love in a classic hummingbird cake, we’ve got you covered in our best Hummingbird Bread recipe. Pineapple, bananas, and coconut come together to form a moist bread that tastes tropical by nature. With a cream cheese drizzle and topper of shredded coconut and toasted pecans, this will be a showstopper whether you’re serving it at breakfast, tea time, or for a delightfully easy dessert. We Tested 23 of the Best Stand Mixers, but Only These 9 Are Worth a Spot on Your Countertop Where Does Hummingbird Bread Come From? Fun fact! The classic Hummingbird Cake was created in Jamaica, then brought it to the United States in the seventies to promote tourism around the island. Its name comes from national bird—the scissors-tail hummingbird—and sometimes local people refer to it as “Doctor Bird Cake,” since this is their “official” nickname given to hummingbirds. Hummingbird Bread was a reinvention of the Jamaican dessert made for the morning or afternoon tea. The tropical flavors pair great with coffee and it's easy enough to pull together for a housewarming or "thinking of you" gift. What Is in Hummingbird Bread? While the bread is on the dense side, the combination of fruits and aromatic, warm spices, such as cinnamon and allspice, will balance the overall taste and texture. It’s truly easy to bake ahead, so you can always have a slice or two in the freezer for those late-night cravings. Spices: One of our favorite things about Hummingbird Bread is that it highlights several popular Jamaican spices, including cinnamon and ground allspice, that give it just enough warmth. Crushed Pineapple: One can (no need to chop a pineapple) is all you need to get perfect pineapple pieces that mix into the batter and impart a sweet and tart tropical flavor. Overripe Banana: You want a brown and spotty banana that is easy to mash for this recipe. Just like Banana Bread, the Hummingbird variation requires a soft banana. Shredded or Flaked Coconut: We used unsweetened coconut flakes since the recipe is already plenty sweet, but you can use up whatever is in your pantry if you'd like. Save some for topping at the end. Chopped and Toasted Pecans: Give your bread a hearty flavor with toasted pecans. If your family doesn't do nuts in desserts, this can easily be omitted. The coconut will add that little bit of crunch. Bananas need to be brown and spotty, and the pineapple has to be crushed or pureed. You can use frozen version of both fruits, but make sure to drain the juice or liquid as much as you can to avoid unwanted moisture. If your cake is too crumbly or light in texture, it won’t hold up the layers and buttercream. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 2 cup all-purpose flour 2 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground allspice 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained 1 cup mashed overripe bananas (2 to 3) 1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup vegetable oil 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ cup shredded or flaked coconut ¼ cup chopped toasted pecans Cream Cheese Drizzle Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl stir together the first six ingredients (through allspice). Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. In a medium bowl combine the next six ingredients (through vanilla). Add pineapple mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in coconut and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan. Bake about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely. Pour over the cream cheese drizzle. If desired, sprinkle with additional coconut and pecans. Cream Cheese Drizzle In a small bowl combine 1 oz. cream cheese, softened, and 1 Tbsp. butter, softened, until smooth. Stir in 1/2 cup powdered sugar and enough milk (about 1 Tbsp.) to reach drizzling consistency. If you’re making this ahead, prepare both the cake and the drizzle separately. When it has cooled, keep the cakes tightly wrapped in film paper at room temperature for up to a day, and the cream cheese frosting covered in the fridge for up to a week. Once layered, you can wrap the whole cake in cling paper and refrigerate it up to five days. You can also slice it and save in the freezer for up to three months—to thaw, simply leave it in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 388 Calories 18g Fat 55g Carbs 5g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 10 Calories 388 % Daily Value * Total Fat 18g 23% Saturated Fat 4g 20% Cholesterol 43mg 14% Sodium 312mg 14% Total Carbohydrate 55g 20% Total Sugars 31g Protein 5g 10% Vitamin C 3.6mg 4% Calcium 75mg 6% Iron 1.8mg 10% Potassium 177mg 4% Folate, total 57.2mcg Vitamin B-12 0.1mcg Vitamin B-6 0.1mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.