Hummingbird Cupcakes with Pineapple Flowers

Rooted in Southern tradition, our allergy-friendly Hummingbird Cupcakes have warm notes of pineapple and banana. Just perfect for spring.

This delightful, allergy-friendly Hummingbird cupcake recipe consists of deliciously moist cake loaded with bananas and pineapple, then topped with an irresistibly rich frosting.

For those of you outside of the South, Hummingbird Cake is a southern classic, typically made with pineapple chunks, banana, coconut, and pecans or walnuts. The cake’s roots are in Jamaica, and essentially, it’s a tropical version of a carrot cake with warm notes of pineapple and banana.

Our version is created free from the Top 9 allergens, without compromising the flavor. These cupcakes are bright, sweet, tropical, and each bite is a welcoming burst of sunshine. You will pipe the luscious frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, so have a piping bag available.

Some say this dessert earned its name because each bite makes you hum with delight. Others say it’s because the cake is sweet enough to attract hummingbirds.

No matter how it got its name, one thing is certain – these hummingbird cupcakes are delicious and make the most beautiful springtime treat. They’d make an outstanding dessert to serve at Easter.

While the instructions that follow are for cupcakes, you can totally make this recipe into a layered cake by doubling the ingredients!

Hummingbird cupcakes are sweet enough on their own, but adding a swirl of velvety smooth frosting, flavored with pineapple juice, makes these cupcakes a little more fun. Try topping these bad boys off with dried pineapple flowers for a showstopping finish.

Nicole’s Hummingbird Cupcakes

Makes 14 cupcakes
Free of: Top 9 allergens and gluten (if using GF option)

Ingredients

Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups flour, all-purpose or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
1 cup granulated cane sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mashed, ripe banana (approximately 2 large bananas)
3/4 cups crushed pineapple with juice from can (do not drain)
6 tbsp cup neutral oil
1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Frosting

1/2 cup dairy-free, soy-free butter
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
1 tsp vanilla extract
2-3 tbsp pineapple juice (if desired)
Pinch of salt

Pineapple Flowers

1 pineapple

Instructions

For Cake & Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 12-cavity muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Sift into a medium mixing bowl, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together mashed bananas, crushed pineapple, oil and vanilla. Once blended, add in the dry mixture and mix on medium speed, just until combined. Do not over-mix. (A hand mixer will also work for this step.)
Pour batter into cupcake tins, filling 2/3 full. Bake for 18–22 minutes or until done (use toothpick in center or press-down method). Let cool completely, then carefully turn cupcakes out onto the cooling rack.
For frosting, using whisk attachment on a stand mixer, beat vegan butter and shortening until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and blend until incorporated.
Then add vanilla extract and a little pineapple juice until a pipeable consistency is achieved. Using a piping bag with large flower or star tip, pipe frosting on cooled Hummingbird cupcakes.
Once frosting has been piped and pineapple flowers (instructions below) have set, decorate cupcakes with pineapple flowers.

For Pineapple Flowers

Set the oven to 220 degrees F. Cut the outer layer from a whole pineapple and remove the “eyes”. Cut very thin slices, but don’t remove the center. I’d recommend making at least 20 slices.
Pat each slice dry with paper towel and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 30 minutes, up to 2 hours, depending on thickness of slices. When the pineapple is done, it will have shrunk, darkened to a golden brown and the edges will look crisp.
Place each slice in a mini muffin tin and press the center down. Allow to dry/set to shape.

Photos by Nicole Dawson of Allergylicious.com

Nicole Dawson is the allergy mom behind the Allergylicious blog (https://allergylicious.com/), where she creates delicious and inspiring recipes you can easily make for your own family. Her youngest child has multiple food allergies. Follow Nicole on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/allergylicious/ and on Pinterest at https://www.pinterest.ca/allergylicious/.