A Party-Sized Hummingbird Cake

Instructions

For the graham cracker almond crumble

In a food processor, combine 270 grams of graham crackers, 60 grams of toasted almonds and pulse into crumbs. Drizzle in the 113 grams of melted butter and pulse again. Transfer to a container and sprinkle in 1/2 teaspoon of flaky salt. Mix with your fingers to combine and store in the fridge until you are ready to use.

For the pineapple cinnamon marmalade

Chop 1100 grams of pineapple into bean-sized pieces. Add these to a large sauté pan. Add 260 grams of granulated sugar and mix together.
Place the pan over medium-low heat and cook for 40-45 minutes, or until the pineapple goes from liquidy to thickened. Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and stir into the marmalade. There might still be some excess liquid, which is completely fine. Transfer to a container and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

For the banana cake layers

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
In a medium sauté pan or pot, brown 340 grams of salted butter. This means slowly heating it until the milk solids separate from the melted butter and begin to turn golden at the bottom of the pan. Once the butter is a deep dark brown, transfer it to the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add 900 grams of bananas into the bowl with the brown butter. Using the paddle attachment, mix on low speed to mash the bananas into the brown butter. Stop when the mixture has chunks but is nearly smooth.
Add in 500 grams dark brown sugar, 6 large eggs, 150 grams of Greek yogurt or skyr, and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract. Mix on low until smooth.
Next, add 630 grams of all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons baking soda, and 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt. Mix on low until a batter forms.
Prepare 3 10-inch springform pans with spray oil and parchment paper. Pour in the batter evenly. It should be about 889 grams of batter per pan.
Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean.
Let the cakes cool in their pans at room temperature. If assembling the next day, wrap them with cling wrap and store them at room temperature. If you are assembling later than one day, wrap them and freeze them.

For the cream cheese frosting

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a bowl using an electric hand mixer), beat 452 grams of softened salted butter on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light, fluffy, and very spreadable.
Add 452 grams of cream cheese a chunk at a time, continuing to beat for another 2-3 minutes, or until this looks like buttercream.
In a separate bowl on the side, add 904 grams of powdered sugar. Whisk it to break up any clumps. With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar one spoonful at a time, only adding the next once the first has mixed in. This helps avoid any sugar clumps.
Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and continue to beat until very fluffy and smooth.
***Note: you will need one batch of the frosting for assembling the cake, and one batch for decorating it. I recommend you make each batch right before you plan to use it.

To assemble the cakes

Use one springform cake pan as your assembly zone. Line it with cling wrap, forming a big "X" with two pieces across the pan.
Place the first banana cake layer down in the lined pan. Spread an even layer of frosting across the cake, then use a piping bag to pipe a ring around the edge. Layer half (yes, half!) of the pineapple marmalade in the center of this ring. Seal in the marmalade by adding half of the graham cracker almond crumble on top. Add another ring of frosting around the edges to hold everything in. Add the next banana cake layer and repeat the process one more time to make three cake layers and two filling layers.
Use the cling wrap hanging over the edges to seal up the cake. Store this in the fridge in the 10-inch springform pan and let it set for 12-24 hours. You can speed this up, but the cake will have more structure if you give it time to set.
The next day, flip the cake onto the surface you plan to decorate on. This can be a cardboard cake platform or the surface you plan to serve on.
Crumb coat the cake by first "sealing" up the exposed icing layers with frosting. Then add a generous dollop of frosting to the top and use an angled spatula to smooth it out. A hack here is to dip the spatula in hot water for your final smoothing, it will make a razor-sharp edge.
Move this to the fridge for 30 minutes to 3 hours to set. You can also flex longer, just don't chill longer than 24 hours if you can help it. Use this time to make another batch of frosting if you need it.
To finish decorating, dollop the frosting on top of the cake and ease it out to the edges. Use the angled spatula to make it as smooth or rustic as you'd like. I have decorating suggestions on the blog post, but it is really up to you!
Serve and slice as you'd like!

A Party-Sized Hummingbird Cake

Equipment

Ingredients

For the graham cracker almond crumble

For the pineapple cinnamon marmalade

For the banana cake layers

For the cream cheese frosting (yields one batch, I suggest two batches for this recipe)

Instructions

For the graham cracker almond crumble

For the pineapple cinnamon marmalade

For the banana cake layers

For the cream cheese frosting

To assemble the cakes

Notes