Happy Birthday Hummingbird Cake

Today is my mom's birthday, and so we had a really fun birthday dinner with my mom, dad, grandma, uncle, and myself.  My dad and I "cooked" dinner - although it's been hot enough here that we made a dinner of cold things!  We served chilled cucumber soup with poached shrimp and a roasted asparagus-orange salad.  For dessert, my mom requested a Hummingbird Cake with coconut sprinkled on the frosting, and the cake turned out perfectly!  The coconut added a great festive touch to really make it a "party" cake, and the cake itself was moist, sweet, and flavorful.  I really like that the addition of bananas and crushed pineapple means that the cake feels rich and not-at-all dry despite containing only 1/2 cup of oil.  And, I love the cute pink candles that my grandma contributed - what a fun celebration!  Happy birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday Hummingbird Cake (adapted from Baking Bites, original recipe here)
Makes one 2-layer, 9-inch round cake

3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups ripe banana, chopped (from 2-3 bananas)
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
Cream cheese frosting
Shredded coconut

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line two 9-inch round pans with parchment, and butter and flour them.
2. Whisk together the flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs in a separate bowl.  Add the bananas, pineapple, and pecans and stir to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir to combine, being careful not to overmix.  Divide the batter among the pans.
5. Bake 30-35 minutes, until nicely browned and a tester comes out clean.  Cool completely.
6. Trim the cakes to make even layers.  Frost with cream cheese, and then sprinkle all over with shredded coconut.

 Blowing out the candles!