Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Hummingbird sponge is an oil-based cake carrying mashed banana, crushed pineapple and cinnamon. Because the fat is oil rather than butter, the crumb stays soft and moist straight from the fridge, and the fruit keeps it that way for days. The flavour is gentle and spiced, sweet from brown sugar, with a warm caramel colour running through the crumb.
I use this as a layering sponge for cream cheese and cheese-cream fillings, but it is just as good baked and served plain. It slices cleanly once cold, it takes a light soaking syrup well if you want it wetter still, and it carves and stacks well enough for simple novelty work.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 970
Number of Units: 2
Unit Size: 20 cm round tin, about 5 cm high
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
1.1 cup
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Cooking Oil
Cooking oil is plant, animal, or synthetic fat used in frying, baking, and other types of cooking. It is also used in food preparation and flavouring not involving heat, such as salad dressings and bread dips, and in this sense might be more accurately termed edible oil. Cooking oil is typically a liquid at room temperature, although some oils that contain saturated fat, such as coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil are solid. There is a wide variety of cooking oils from plant sources such as olive oil, palm oil, soybean oil, canola oil (rapeseed oil), corn oil, peanut oil and other vegetable oils, as well as animal-based oils like butter and lard. Oil can be flavoured with aromatic foodstuffs such as herbs, chillies or garlic.
neutral flavoured
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B
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165 |
3.3 Whole Eggs
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Whole Egg
Eggs are one of the most common ingredients in a typical cake. Egg yolks and whole eggs store significant amounts of protein and choline, and are widely used in baking. Usually an eggs role in a cake is to add moisture and richness, act as a raising agent as well as a glue to bind the ingredients together.
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room temperature |
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C
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375 |
13.2 ounces
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Brown Sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content (natural brown sugar), or it is produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar (commercial brown sugar).
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lightly packed |
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D
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19 |
0.7 ounce
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Baking Powder
Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid, and is used for increasing the volume and lightening the texture of baked goods. Baking powder works by releasing carbon dioxide gas into a batter or dough through an acid-base reaction, causing bubbles in the wet mixture to expand and thus leavening the mixture. It is used instead of yeast for end-products where fermentation flavors would be undesirable or where the batter lacks the elastic structure to hold gas bubbles for more than a few minutes, or for convenience. Because carbon dioxide is released at a faster rate through the acid-base reaction than through fermentation, breads made by chemical leavening are called quick breads.
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sifted |
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E
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6.5 |
0.2 ounce
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon (/ˈsɪnəmən/ sin-ə-mən) is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods. While Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from related species, which are also referred to as "cassia" to distinguish them from "true cinnamon".
ground
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F
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375 |
13.2 ounces
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Bread Flour
Bread flour is a strong wheat flour with a higher protein content than plain or cake flour. In a heavy, fruit-laden batter like this one it gives the crumb enough structure to hold the banana and pineapple without sinking.
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sifted |
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G
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Crushed Pineapple
Crushed pineapple is tinned pineapple that has been finely chopped and packed in its own juice or a light syrup. It adds moisture and a mild fruity acidity to cakes and is used with some of its juice still clinging to the fruit.
tinned
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drained |
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H
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500 |
4.2 Bananas
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Banana
Ripe bananas, weighed after peeling. Choose fruit that is well speckled, as the riper the banana the sweeter and more aromatic the finished filling.
peeled weight
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very ripe, mashed |
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1940
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Pre-heat |
Pre-heat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease two 20 cm round tins and line the bases with baking paper. |
Oven fully up to temperature before the batter goes in |
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2 |
Prepare |
Peel and mash H (banana) and drain G (crushed pineapple) well in a sieve. |
Banana smooth with only small lumps; pineapple no longer wet |
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3 |
Whisk |
Whisk A, B and C (oil, whole egg and brown sugar) together in a large bowl. |
Smooth, glossy and evenly combined, with no lumps of sugar |
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4 |
Sift |
Sift D, E and F (baking powder, cinnamon and bread flour) together. |
Spice evenly dispersed through the flour |
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5 |
Fold |
Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the egg and oil mixture. |
Just combined, no dry flour showing; do not overwork |
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6 |
Fold |
Fold the mashed H and drained G (banana and crushed pineapple) through the batter. |
Fruit evenly spread through the mixture |
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7 |
Fill |
Divide the batter evenly between the two tins, about 970 g in each, and level the tops. |
Even thickness so both bake at the same rate |
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8 |
Bake |
Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 35 minutes. |
Springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer comes out clean |
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9 |
Cool |
Rest the sponges in their tins for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. |
Completely cold before trimming, slicing or filling |
Important Notes
This quarter batch makes about 1,940 g of mixture, enough for two 20 cm round tins at roughly 970 g each. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 35 minutes. Drain the tinned pineapple well — extra juice will make the sponge heavy and slow to bake. The banana weight is peeled weight, so buy a little more than you need, and use fruit that is very ripe and speckled for the best flavour. Once cold, the sponges keep wrapped for 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months frozen, well wrapped. Chill before cutting into layers for cleaner slices.
Tools & Arrangements
Kitchen scales, two 20 cm round cake tins, baking paper, large mixing bowl, balloon whisk, sieve or fine strainer, rubber spatula, fork or potato masher, skewer, cooling rack.
