NANA’S HUMMINGBIRD CAKE (for eight)

For the cake:

3 teaspoons butter for greasing the pan

3 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

4 sliced bananas (should be ripe)

1-1/2 cups canola or vegetable oil

8 ounce can crushed pineapple

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

3 eggs

For the cream cheese icing:

8 ounces cream cheese 

1-1/4 cups butter

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

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1.  Make cake:  Preheat oven to 350*.  Grease Bundt pan with butter and flour it lightly, tapping out the excess flour; set aside.  Measure dry ingredients (flour, soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar) into a sifter and sift together.  Dice bananas.  Measure diced bananas (should be about 2 cups) and add to dry ingredients along with oil, extracts, eggs, coconut, pecans and crushed pineapple.  The mixture is stirred to blend but is not beaten.

2.  Place in middle of oven and bake for about one hour and 5 to 10 minutes.  Let cool on a rack without removing from pan.  Ice when cool.

3.  Make icing:  Soften cream cheese and butter.  Beat until smooth.  Beat in powdered sugar and extracts.  Ice cake and sprinkle with chopped pecans.