If you're like me, and have lived away from the South for the last ten years, you powerfully miss hummingbird cake and have never found a satisfactory replacement for it since leaving. This cake, however, has finally filled that pineapple spice cake-shaped hole in my heart.
This is a yeasted coffee cake that rises in 30 minutes and turns into the most delicious, moist, and tender spice cake I've ever made. This iteration uses frozen pineapple because we had some languishing in our freezer, but fresh will work, as will any other fresh fruit you want to throw in the batter. And because this is quarantine and everyone in the world has a sourdough starter bubbling away on their countertop or sleeping in the fridge, waiting for its moment of stardom, this recipe uses leftover starter for a wonderful complexity against the warm spices.
I've adapted this from a recipe at TheSpruceEats with some major modifications. Namely, I didn’t actually have vegetable oil in the pantry the first time I made this, and I boosted the moisture in the batter with the addition of ricotta and mayonnaise.
I'm also including variations using for using fully active starter vs discard, or no sourdough starter at all.
The Recipe
Streusel Topping
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/4 c white sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c butter, room temperature
1/4 c chopped dried pineapple
Cake
Dry Ingredients:
2/3 c (85g) all purpose flour
3/4 c white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 c frozen pineapple, thawed and diced
Wet ingredients:
1 c (160g) ripe sourdough starter
1/3 c ricotta
1/3 c mayonnaise
1 egg
Make the streusel:
In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar.
Chop the dried pineapple and add.
Cut the butter into 1/8" cubes and add to the bowl. Rub the butter together with the dry ingredients until it becomes mealy and stiff. Set aside for later.
Make the batter:
Butter and flour a 9" round baking pan.
In a large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
Add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
Pour batter into pan and smooth to edges. Top with streusel crumb topping.
Let cake rise for about 30 minutes in a warm place.
Before the cake is done rising, preheat the oven to 375.
Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or until the center is approximately 210 degrees F.
Remove and cool on a wire rack.
If using discard, use 1 tsp of baking soda and add 1/4 tsp of instant yeast to the batter.
If you don't have a sourdough starter, add 80g flour and 80 g water to the batter, use 2 tsp of baking soda, and 1/2 tsp of instant yeast.
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