This vegan hummingbird cake is incredibly flavorful, moist and delicious. It’s made of a combination of tropical flavors including banana, pineapple, and cinnamon. Topped with dairy-free cream cheese frosting, this cake will have everyone asking for more!
This is a delicious cake any time of year, but especially during the summer months. The pineapple and banana give it a tropical feel. But my favorite part of the cake is the pecans - don't skip toasting them!
I've had hummingbird cake that's super dense because there's just too much banana in it. This cake is moist but not dense as it's not overloaded with bananas. But you still get all the flavor!
Love baking with bananas? Try my vegan banana chocolate chip cookies and vegan banana pear bread. Or for a breakfast treat, enjoy my banana chia pudding.
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Why You’ll Love Vegan Hummingbird Cake
- Flavor: This cake has amazing tropical flavors of pineapple and banana which is balanced with cinnamon.
- Texture: This cake is moist and tender but also has some crunch thanks to the toasted pecans.
Ingredient Notes
- Crushed pineapple: Make sure you’re using canned crushed pineapple in juice, not syrup.
- Vegan butter: My favorite brand to use for baking is Country Crock Plant Butter. Use sticks for easy measuring.
- Bananas: Make sure they are very ripe for sweetness and texture.
- Vegetable oil: You can also use any neutral oil like canola or sunflower oil.
- Plant-based milk: You can use any non-dairy milk. I always bake with unsweetened soy milk but any kind will work.
Please see the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and amounts needed.
How To Make Vegan Hummingbird Cake
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 300°. Spray 2 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Spread the chopped pecans on the baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 350°.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Step 4: Add in the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple with liquid, oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined. Fold in the cooled chopped pecans.
Step 5: Spread batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake for about 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Let cool in pans for at least 20 minutes before transferring cakes out of the pans and onto cooling racks. Finish cooling completely on wire racks.
Step 7: In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer, cream the softened vegan butter.
Step 8: Add in the vegan cream cheese and beat until well mixed. Do not overmix the cream cheese or it will get too loose.
Step 9: Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is added. Mix in the vanilla extract.
If you’re not using this frosting right away, store in the fridge. As many kinds of vegan cream cheese contain coconut oil, you want to keep this frosting cold so that it doesn't melt.
Step 10: Frost the cake and decorate with extra toasted chopped pecans (optional). Enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Do not overmix the cake batter or it will come out dense.
- While you may be tempted to skip toasting the pecans (and trust me, that’s usually me), do not skip this step. The flavors change when toasted and they become even more delicious!
- Make sure the toasted pecans are completely cooled before adding to the cake.
- Vegan cream cheese frosting can be a little finicky. Make sure to keep the cream cheese cold and to not over whip it. Do not soften it like you would with butter. If it gets warm or is overmixed then it gets too loose.
If you love making (and eating!) frosted layer cakes, try my vegan matcha cake and my vegan ube cake.
Recipe and Storage FAQs
This vegan hummingbird cake needs to be stored in the fridge, especially so the cream cheese frosting doesn’t melt. Store it for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Yes! Simply fill the cupcake tins about two-thirds with batter. Bake at 350 for about 18-20 minutes.
Yes! If you’re having trouble finding vegan cream cheese or just prefer buttercream, feel free to use my vegan vanilla whipped frosting.
More Vegan Dessert Recipes
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Recipe
Vegan Hummingbird Cake
Equipment
- 2 8" cake pans
- cooling rack
- Electric mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ¼ chopped pecans plus optional extra for decorating
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed very well
- 8 oz. crushed pineapple (do not drain)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup plant-based milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Frosting
- 1 cup vegan butter, slightly softened
- 1 cup vegan cream cheese (8 oz.)
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 300°. Spray 2 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the chopped pecans on the baking sheet and bake for 7 minutes. Take out of the oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Change the oven temperature to 350°.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Add in the mashed bananas, crushed pineapple with liquid, oil, non-dairy milk and vanilla extract. Mix until just combined.
- Fold in the cooled chopped pecans.
- Spread batter evenly between the 2 prepared pans. Bake for about 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool in pans for at least 20 minutes before transferring cakes out of the pans and onto cooling racks. Finish cooling completely on wire racks.
Make the frosting
- In a large bowl with a handheld mixer or in a stand mixer, cream the softened vegan butter.
- Add in the vegan cream cheese and beat until well mixed. Do not overmix the cream cheese or it will get too loose.
- Add in the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until all is added. Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Store in the fridge until ready to use. As many kinds of vegan cream cheese contain coconut oil, you want to keep this frosting cold so that it doesn't melt.
- Frost the cake and decorate with extra toasted chopped pecans (optional).
Notes
- Cake and frosting can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Make sure the pecans are completely cool before adding to cake.
- Keep the frosting cool at all times so that the coconut oil (an ingredient in most vegan cream cheese) doesn't melt.
- It's easy to accidentally make your vegan cream cheese frosting too liquidy - trust me, I know! The key is to not overmix the cream cheese and to keep it cool.
Jen says
The whole family loves this cake. It’s rich and moist but not dense. The toasted pecans are the best part!
Jonlyn McGettigan says
My third time making this. It is sooo good! My husband specifically requests it. Everyone loves it!
Jen Cardenas says
That's great Jonlyn! Glad everyone loved it. It's definitely one of our favorite cakes, too. Thanks for the comment!