In the Kitchen: Hummingbird Cake

Notice anything different around here? I'm so excited to have my new blog design live! I feel like the design just got brought back into this century, fresh and clean now! The white background is so nice to see instead of my old, dark gray. If you need any blog design work done, be sure to visit Kayla, she's awesome! 
Now onto the food...I have a perfect Easter dessert to share with you! I made this for Easter last year and wanted to share before this weekend, although this would be perfect for any Spring gathering or party. They say Hummingbird Cake is supposedly so delicious it will even attract hummingbirds. I can attest that is was extremely delicious. Sweet, without being too heavy, which makes for a perfect Spring dessert. And it stayed nice and moist! You typically see these served with a cream cheese frosting, but I'm not a big cream cheese fan so I went with vanilla buttercream. Another frosting that would be perfect on this is Brown Butter.

INGREDIENTS: (Recipe from Woman's Day Magazine, April 2009)  - 3 cups all-purpose flour - 2 cups sugar - 1 1/2 tsp each, baking soda and ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp salt - 3 large eggs - 3/4 cup oil - 2 tsp vanilla extract - 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple in juice - 2 cups mashed bananas (3-4 large bananas) - 1 cup pecan pieces, finely chopped
For Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (makes 2.5 cups) (Recipe from Savory Sweet Life) - 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted (ideal texture should be like ice cream) - 3-4 cups confectioners sugar, sifted - 1/4 tsp salt - 1 tbs vanilla extract - Up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream

PREPARATION: Adjust oven racks to divide in thirds and preheat to 350 degrees. Coat 3, 8x12 in. cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms with wax paper and spray wax paper . Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in large bowl until well mixed.
In another large bowl, whisk eggs, oil, vanilla, crushed pineapple with juice, mashed banana and pecans until blended. It will smell delicious! Add this to the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Divide batter evenly among prepared cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes.
Once cakes are cooled, begin preparing the frosting. Beat butter for a few minutes with the paddle attachment on a mixer. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so sugar doesn't go everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter.
Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If frosting needs to be stiffer, add more sugar. On the otherhand, if you want to thin it out, add more of the cream/milk.
For the cake layers, be sure to flip them upside down when you place on the cake stand/plate so you will be frosting the most even, bottom side. Start with one layer and frost the top, then add another layer and do the same thing. One tip I have for frosting is to line the bottom of your cake stand or plate with wax paper so it is just under each of the cake edges. This way if the frosting gets all over, you can just pull away the wax paper and mess before serving. When frosting is complete, sprinkle flaked coconut over the top.