I'm going to make a hummingbird cake for the first time
tomorrow. When I make the Hershey's chocolate cake,
I oftentimes wrap them up tight and freeze them until
later when I want it.

Can I do the same thing with the hummingbird cake?
Because of the contents, specifically the 1 1/2 cups of
mashed bananas (maybe the pineapple too), I'm not
sure if it will stand a freeze and thaw. I never freeze
them for long, maybe a few weeks, and when I thaw
them I ice them and they're gone in a couple days.

Thanks, Michael

On 23 Sep 2006 17:28:56 -0700, "Michael" > wrote:

>I'm going to make a hummingbird cake for the first time
>tomorrow. When I make the Hershey's chocolate cake,
>I oftentimes wrap them up tight and freeze them until
>later when I want it.
>
>Can I do the same thing with the hummingbird cake?
>Because of the contents, specifically the 1 1/2 cups of
>mashed bananas (maybe the pineapple too), I'm not
>sure if it will stand a freeze and thaw. I never freeze
>them for long, maybe a few weeks, and when I thaw
>them I ice them and they're gone in a couple days.
>
>Thanks, Michael

I hadn't heard of hummingbird cake until recently, but it seems like
those ingredients (especially the bananna) would make it freeze better
than a regular cake.

Oh pshaw, on Sat 23 Sep 2006 05:28:56p, Michael meant to say...

> I'm going to make a hummingbird cake for the first time
> tomorrow. When I make the Hershey's chocolate cake,
> I oftentimes wrap them up tight and freeze them until
> later when I want it.
>
> Can I do the same thing with the hummingbird cake?
> Because of the contents, specifically the 1 1/2 cups of
> mashed bananas (maybe the pineapple too), I'm not
> sure if it will stand a freeze and thaw. I never freeze
> them for long, maybe a few weeks, and when I thaw
> them I ice them and they're gone in a couple days.
>
> Thanks, Michael
>

Yes, you can.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

What a long, strange trip it's been!

Thank you for commenting, Wayne and sf. The cake is in the
oven right now. I doubled the recipe so I could go for a two-
layer 9x13. It was quite a bit of work. Had to mash the 'naners,
whip the eggs, and them smash the pecans. Thick and gooey
batter. The MCL cafeteria we go to often has the hummingbird
cake. We like it enough that I decide to try one.

The recipe came from www.recipesource.com. There are two
recipes. I think I'm using the first one.

The timer just went off and I gave it another 5 minutes. It's
getting a little brown on top, so I turned the heat down a bit.
I hope it gets done on the inside and not burnt on the top. Oh
well, I'll be slicing the top off a bit anyway to level it somewhat.

Thanks again, Michael

Michael wrote:
>>
> The timer just went off and I gave it another 5 minutes. It's
> getting a little brown on top, so I turned the heat down a bit.
> I hope it gets done on the inside and not burnt on the top. Oh
> well, I'll be slicing the top off a bit anyway to level it somewhat.
>
> Thanks again, Michael


Michael, you probably know this , but if you get a long piece of
dental floss it will slice the top off easily.
Rosie

Oh pshaw, on Sun 24 Sep 2006 07:05:54a, Michael meant to say...

> Thank you for commenting, Wayne and sf. The cake is in the
> oven right now. I doubled the recipe so I could go for a two-
> layer 9x13. It was quite a bit of work. Had to mash the 'naners,
> whip the eggs, and them smash the pecans. Thick and gooey
> batter. The MCL cafeteria we go to often has the hummingbird
> cake. We like it enough that I decide to try one.
>
> The recipe came from www.recipesource.com. There are two
> recipes. I think I'm using the first one.
>
> The timer just went off and I gave it another 5 minutes. It's
> getting a little brown on top, so I turned the heat down a bit.
> I hope it gets done on the inside and not burnt on the top. Oh
> well, I'll be slicing the top off a bit anyway to level it somewhat.
>
> Thanks again, Michael
>

As with banana cake, hummingburd cake requires careful watching to insure
that it's thoroghly done but does not overbrown. I find that I sometimes
have to "tent" my banana cakes with foil to prevent overbrowning, in order
for the interior to be completely done.

Hope your results are perfect!

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Recent polls reveal that some people have never
been polled. Until recently. --George Carlin

Rosie wrote:

Michael, you probably know this , but if you get a long
piece of dental floss it will slice the top off easily.

********************
Thank you, Rosie! That's the way I used to do it until
I bought a real cheap cake slicer that has a wire
running across a thin U-shaped backet. It does great
if I've got someone to hold the end of the cake while
I'm cutting on it. They had a big and expensive cake
slicer that had a real blade on it, but I would have had
to take out a loan to buy it, and then add a room onto
the house to store it.

If I am slicing a cake super-thin (under an inch), I run a
doubled sheet of wax paper through the completed cut
and use that to lift off the thin top piece. Since the
paper was doubled over, I've then got the other half to
flop over on top of the layer. I wrap it up, tape it with
masking tape, and freeze it if that's where it's going. I
prefer dealing with the really thin pieces frozen. Much
easier to handle.

Michael

Rosie wrote:

Michael, you probably know this , but if you get a long
piece of dental floss it will slice the top off easily.

********************
Thank you, Rosie! That's the way I used to do it until
I bought a real cheap cake slicer that has a wire
running across a thin U-shaped backet. It does great
if I've got someone to hold the end of the cake while
I'm cutting on it. They had a big and expensive cake
slicer that had a real blade on it, but I would have had
to take out a loan to buy it, and then add a room onto
the house to store it.

If I am slicing a cake super-thin (under an inch), I run a
doubled sheet of wax paper through the completed cut
and use that to lift off the thin top piece. Since the
paper was doubled over, I've then got the other half to
flop over on top of the layer. I wrap it up, tape it with
masking tape, and freeze it if that's where it's going. I
prefer dealing with the really thin pieces frozen. Much
easier to handle.

Michael

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

As with banana cake, hummingburd cake requires careful watching
to insure that it's thoroghly done but does not overbrown. I find
that I sometimes have to "tent" my banana cakes with foil to prevent
overbrowning, in order for the interior to be completely done.

****************
Thanks, Wayne. It came out pretty good for the first attempt. I
think that because I had two 9x13s crammed in the oven, that it
kept the top from browning too much. It rose quite a bit, so when
I sliced off the top, I had big layers and a lot sliced off, too.

It's funny that all these years of having the occasional piece at the
restaurant, I never really realized that it's just glorified banana
bread.

Two big packets of cream cheese, a couple sticks of butter, some
vanilla and a mountain of powdered sugar later, and the thing is
iced. I've got some crushed pecans to sprinkle on top.

Michael

On 24 Sep 2006 08:13:25 -0700, "rosie" > wrote:

>
>Michael wrote:
>>>
>> The timer just went off and I gave it another 5 minutes. It's
>> getting a little brown on top, so I turned the heat down a bit.
>> I hope it gets done on the inside and not burnt on the top. Oh
>> well, I'll be slicing the top off a bit anyway to level it somewhat.
>>
>> Thanks again, Michael
>
>
> Michael, you probably know this , but if you get a long piece of
>dental floss it will slice the top off easily.
>Rosie

Did you see the cake bake off on the Food Network where a team created
a cake that would have been appropriate to serve to Alice in
Wonderland? It had anything but straight layers.

sf wrote:

Did you see the cake bake off on the Food Network where a
team created a cake that would have been appropriate to
serve to Alice in Wonderland? It had anything but straight
layers.

****************
Straight layers haven't been fashionable for a long time. I
started down the fondant road about a year ago. The daughter
and I made a pretty fish cake. The fish had several different
colored parts. The cake was delicious. Once you scraped
the fondant off of it. As far as I know, we didn't make any
mistakes with the fondant. That's the way it tastes. Putting
that much trouble into something that tastes that mediocre
is something that I could not again muster any enthusiasm
for. I started decorating with good old-fashioned icing, which
I happen to like just fine.

Michael

Oh pshaw, on Sun 24 Sep 2006 01:56:26p, Michael meant to say...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> As with banana cake, hummingburd cake requires careful watching
> to insure that it's thoroghly done but does not overbrown. I find
> that I sometimes have to "tent" my banana cakes with foil to prevent
> overbrowning, in order for the interior to be completely done.
>
> ****************
> Thanks, Wayne. It came out pretty good for the first attempt. I
> think that because I had two 9x13s crammed in the oven, that it
> kept the top from browning too much. It rose quite a bit, so when
> I sliced off the top, I had big layers and a lot sliced off, too.
>
> It's funny that all these years of having the occasional piece at the
> restaurant, I never really realized that it's just glorified banana
> bread.

True, but the pineapple gives it a very nice twist.

> Two big packets of cream cheese, a couple sticks of butter, some
> vanilla and a mountain of powdered sugar later, and the thing is
> iced. I've got some crushed pecans to sprinkle on top.
>
> Michael
>

Uh, I have a very large mailbox that could accomodate several slices! :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Recent polls reveal that some people have never
been polled. Until recently. --George Carlin

Michael wrote:
> Rosie wrote:
>
> Michael, you probably know this , but if you get a long
> piece of dental floss it will slice the top off easily.
> > If I am slicing a cake super-thin (under an inch), I run a
> doubled sheet of wax paper through the completed cut
> and use that to lift off the thin top piece. Since the
> paper was doubled over, I've then got the other half to
> flop over on top of the layer. I wrap it up, tape it with
> masking tape, and freeze it if that's where it's going. I
> prefer dealing with the really thin pieces frozen. Much
> easier to handle.
>
> Michael

Now THAT"S a Good tip ! Thanks, Rosie

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

Uh, I have a very large mailbox that could accomodate several
slices! :-)

******************
Haha! You've taken the time to answer many questions for me
here. The cake probably wouldn't travel very good, but when the
holidays roll around, I'll see if you are interested in some of my
orange chocolate truffles. I'm not much of a cook, but I'm proud
of them. I actually won a minor award for them in the only
cooking contest I've ever entered, the Chocolatefest last year
here in Bloomington, Indiana.

Well, the jury is in on the hummingbird cake! Pretty good but
just a little bit too banana-ish. Haha! Is that a word? I've only
had the hummingbird cake at MCL Cafeteria, so that's really
the standard I'm playing to. The family samples everything but
they are always counting calories so I usually drag my creations
off to work the following day. That's why I made such a huge
cake. A two-layer 9x13 is big, but there are a lot of people at
the office.

I'll have to work on the "too banana-ish." My guess is I'll put
less bananas in it nex time. I'm a genius, aren't I? Haha!

Michael

Oh pshaw, on Sun 24 Sep 2006 08:30:01p, Michael meant to say...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> Uh, I have a very large mailbox that could accomodate several
> slices! :-)
>
> ******************
> Haha! You've taken the time to answer many questions for me
> here. The cake probably wouldn't travel very good, but when the
> holidays roll around, I'll see if you are interested in some of my
> orange chocolate truffles. I'm not much of a cook, but I'm proud
> of them. I actually won a minor award for them in the only
> cooking contest I've ever entered, the Chocolatefest last year
> here in Bloomington, Indiana.

Honest, Michael, I was just kidding. But I always applaud your interest
and effort in trying new projects. I lik your spirit! Hey, orange
chocolate truffles that you won an award for? Yes, definitely interested!
Orange and chocolate is such a great combination.

> Well, the jury is in on the hummingbird cake! Pretty good but
> just a little bit too banana-ish. Haha! Is that a word? I've only
> had the hummingbird cake at MCL Cafeteria, so that's really
> the standard I'm playing to. The family samples everything but
> they are always counting calories so I usually drag my creations
> off to work the following day. That's why I made such a huge
> cake. A two-layer 9x13 is big, but there are a lot of people at
> the office.
>
> I'll have to work on the "too banana-ish." My guess is I'll put
> less bananas in it nex time. I'm a genius, aren't I? Haha!

I've only had homemade hummingbird cake and it is always on the "banana-
ish" side, but I like it. Sometimes when we're expecting one thing and get
another, it just doesn't seem "right". It may be your family's experience
with the cake from MCL Cafeteria that colored their judgement.

Speaking of cafeterias, I wish there was still a good one here in Phoenix.
I like a good cafeteria meal every so often.

After we move and I've unpacked my books, I'll have to send you an old
recipe for Zuppa Anglaise. There are many variations on this cake, but I
especially like the one I have. It's made of 3 layers of sponge cake
soaked with a water/rum/sugar mixture. There are two fillings, one is a
pineapple custard, the other a chocolate custard. It is frosted with a
meringue. You might find it interesting to make.

--
Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________

Recent polls reveal that some people have never
been polled. Until recently. --George Carlin

Wayne Boatwright wrote:


> Wayne Boatwright
> __________________________________________________
>
> What a long, strange trip it's been!

New sig. You a Deadhead? I never woulda guessed!

nothin left to do but smile, smile, smile!

Oh pshaw, on Mon 25 Sep 2006 10:08:32a, Jude meant to say...

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
>
>> Wayne Boatwright
>> __________________________________________________
>>
>> What a long, strange trip it's been!
>
> New sig. You a Deadhead? I never woulda guessed!
>
> nothin left to do but smile, smile, smile!
>
>

Guess you could say I was, at least back in the 70's. Caught them in
Berkeley in '72. Not much is left of my collection, though.

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
_____________________

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> Oh pshaw, on Mon 25 Sep 2006 10:08:32a, Jude meant to say...
>
> > Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Wayne Boatwright
> >> __________________________________________________
> >>
> >> What a long, strange trip it's been!
> >
> > New sig. You a Deadhead? I never woulda guessed!
> >
> > nothin left to do but smile, smile, smile!
> >
> >
>
> Guess you could say I was, at least back in the 70's. Caught them in
> Berkeley in '72. Not much is left of my collection, though.
>

<<jealous of seeing them in 72!

I'm a youngun....didn't get there til '86.

I'd be happy to burn you a few CDs if you'd like to start rebuilding.
That's what it's all about, right?
> --
> Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
> _____________________

Wayne Boatwright wrote:

After we move and I've unpacked my books, I'll have to send you
an old recipe for Zuppa Anglaise. There are many variations on
this cake, but I especially like the one I have. It's made of 3 layers
of sponge cake soaked with a water/rum/sugar mixture. There
are two fillings, one is a pineapple custard, the other a chocolate
custard. It is frosted with a meringue. You might find it interesting
to make.

*************
Zuppa Anglaise? I would love to try it. It sounds delicious! I've
never heard of it before. So you've just moved? That sounds exciting.
I've got a friend who recently went down to Phoenix and did some
climbing on the outskirts. He said it was a wonderful city.

Thanks, Michael