Dr. Bird Cake is a soft cake flavored with banana and pineapple. It’s baked in a 9×13 pan, and is essentially a scaled down version of a classic Hummingbird Cake. It has a poured glaze icing that almost makes it like a coffee cake.
It’s one of those cakes that you can eat for breakfast or dessert, and I am fully onboard with that idea.
I didn’t invent this one. It’s apparently been around for ages. I got the recipe in one of my mom’s old-timey compilation recipe books…
Aren’t those cookbooks the best? Looking at everyone’s old recipes and the strange names they gave them…
But after doing a little research I found that Dr. Birds are another name for Hummingbirds.
So essentially this is a Hummingbird Cake.
I tweaked the recipe ever so slightly and then made it in a 9×13 pan.
Cakes made in 9×13 pans always seem easier to me. Like a perfect weeknight or Sunday dessert. Right?
Anyhow, this cake has banana…
And also some crushed pineapple. Yep, it’s good.
I whisked my dry ingredients together…
And combined them with the wet ones to make a batter.
After I baked it it looked like this…
You could certainly stop there. Or you could dust it with powdered sugar. OR you could whip up some cream cheese frosting…
But I decided to make a butter glaze frosting. Because I love a frosting that gets all crusty when it sets.
Seriously, look how good…
Such a classic and yummy recipe!
PrintDr. Bird Cake
Print Recipe
PinDescription:
serves 12
Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
- 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple, undrained
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 2 large bananas, diced (scant 2 cups)
Icing
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 5 Tbsp milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- IN large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Set aside.
- In bowl of stand mixer mix oil, pineapple, vanilla, whisked eggs and diced bananas until lightly combined. With mixer on lowest setting add in the dry ingredients until batter just comes together.
- Pour batter into prepared pan.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes.
Icing
- Combine powdered sugar, melted butter and milk in a bowl and whisk until all lumps are gone.
- Pour icing onto warm cake and allow to cool completely.
Notes:
store airtight for up to 3 days
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Here’s another strangely named dessert, that is to-die for!
Hi! I’m Shelly and I’m an addict. Of the buttercream sort. I started this site a few years ago as a way to justify my sugary, buttery obsession with desserts. It has worked out well for me so far, because as it turns out you guys all love sugary, buttery desserts too! It feels good to know you're not alone, doesn’t it?
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Just looking around and found this recipe. Love seeing these old recipes coming back. My great aunt made this when I was growing up and I’m in my mid 60’s. The good recipes stay around. Thank goodness!
Love all your recipes, too!!
★★★★★
Can you use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil?
You can use applesauce instead of eggs, but I have never replaced oil with applesauce.
I tried this recipe yesterday and it tasted great! Bananas, pineapple and cinnamon was certainly a combination I had never baked before. I especially loved how all of these flavors came together.
Thank you for the lovely recipe!
★★★★★
Thank you!!
This cake is delicious, no matter what it’s called…we use cream cheese icing mostly ….birds are awesome creatures! Most are so pretty, and the pet types can be so sweet and loving. Now, as far as flying, and being evil? BATS, I tell ya!! lol
★★★★★
This cake looks so good! I like banana and pineapple in this cake 🙂
Hummingbird cake is one of my all-time favorites, and this version looks just wonderful!
I plan to make this today, but I’m not sure which pineapple to use. I bought 1 can of crushed pineapple in 100% pineapple juice and 1 can in heavy syrup. Which would be better? Thank you!
pineapple juice for sure!!
Dr. Bird…. totally expecting it to have Dr. Pepper and maybe some sort of bird in it. lol! I much prefer your version rather than what my mind made up. 😉
Looks delicious! I love rediscovering old recipes.
Yes. Please!
And I agree on the crusty frosting
That looks so good! I love the name 🙂
As a PhD whose dissertation work was in songbirds…I HAVE to make this, LOL! Plus I love the idea of a cake with both crushed pineapple and bananas.
The Toledo Mudhens are a “farm” baseball team in Ohio.
Ooh I just love hummingbird cake! This looks lovely and light.
Looks DELICIOUS!!! I have to tell you I absolutely love all of your recipes!!!! Thank you for all the time you take to share them with us!!!! Do you think a Brown Butter Frosting would be good on this???
Brown Butter Frosting would be good on just about anything! Great idea!! And thank you so so much 🙂