HUMINGBIRD CAKE

The first time I made this cake, I took it to a party given by a trainer at my gym whose best client, "Doc," was moving out of town. Bill invited lots of people from the gym and most of his neighbors and friends. Ever conscious of his health and the cook in the family, Bill prepared and served a wide range of healthy. wholesome food. Which this cake is not. Loaded with sugar and butter, my cake was a distinct departure from the menu. Nonetheless, it was attacked with enthusiasm by the crowd and was soon gone. I'm sure they were all starved for butter and sugar! The next day, several of the guys at the gym asked me if I would provide the recipe for their wives. Talk about "queer eye for the straight guy!"

I have no idea why this cake is called "hummingbird cake." (Ask Saveur, from whom the recipe comes.) It's certainly not the lightest cake I've ever tasted but it is one of the very best. The combination of ingredients is very hard to beat. It takes a while to make it but you, and your guests, will find it's worth all the effort.

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

makes one 9" cake

For the cake:

3 T butter, softened

3 C plus 3 T flour

2 C sugar

1 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 1/2 C vegetable oil

3 eggs, well beaten

6 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed

1 8-oz can crushed pineapple

1 C sweetened flaked coconut

1 C chopped pecans

1 t ground cinnamon

1/2  vanilla extract

1/2 t almond extract

1/2 t coconut extract

For the frosting:

14-oz cream cheese, softened

8 T butter softened

1 t vanilla extract

1 t almond extract

1 t coconut extract

6 C confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. For the cake: preheat the oven to 350. Grease each of three 9" round cake pans with 1 teaspoon of the butter, dust each with 1 tablespoon of the flour, tapping out excess, and set aside.

2. Combine the remaining 3 cups flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Add oil and eggs and mix well. Add bananas, pineapple, coconut, pecans, cinnamon, and vanilla, almond and coconut extracts and mix well. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Set aside to cool briefly, remove cakes from pans, then set aside to cool completely.

3. For the frosting: beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla, almond and coconut extracts in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until smooth, then reduce speed to medium low and gradually beat in sugar.

4. Assemble and frost cake, spreading 1 1/2 cups of the frosting between the 2 layers of cake and using the remaining to frost cake completely.