Hummingbird Cake almost tastes like banana bread and carrot cake had a baby together. The banana flavor overshadows the pineapple, but the pineapple no doubt helps create a moist cake and the little pieces of pineapple help give Hummingbird Cake its unique texture.

Some say the cake was named after the bird because it was sweet enough to attract hummingbirds (who eat only nectar), while others say the yellow streaks of banana was reminiscent of the bird’s plumage. Most food historians agree the first printed recipe for Hummingbird cake was by one Mrs L H Wiggin.

A variation with canned crushed pineapple and without bananas and frosting, baked in a 13- by 9-inch pan, was entitled “Granny Cake” in Aluminum Light by the Aluminum Workers International Union (1978).

Hummingbird Cake should be stored in an airtight container or well-covered with plastic wrap to protect it from drying out. It can be stored at room temperature (if less than 70 degrees F) for two days or will last in the refrigerator for up to one week.

You’ve baked your cake. You’ve let the layers cool. But before you can cover them with a luscious layer of frosting, you need to get your cake ready. Make sure the layers have cooled for a couple of hours after they come out of the oven, or even overnight in the refrigerator.

Refrigeration dries sponge cakes out. It’s that simple. Even if you refrigerate a cake in a perfectly sealed container and only for a short amount of time, it will dry out.

Wrap an unfrosted cake layer tightly in plastic wrap; be sure and secure the top, sides and bottom of the layers. Then place the wrapped layers in a plastic zip-top bag and store on the kitchen counter at room temperature for up to five days.

Most freshly-baked cakes can and should be left out overnight. Sponge cakes, pound cakes, fruit cakes, and the majority of commercial cake mixes are all examples of shelf-stable cakes. After allowing your cake to cool on the countertop overnight, move it to an airtight container to keep it fresh for up to five days.

I promise you SOFT & MOIST cakes!

1. Use Cake Flour. Reach for cake flour instead of all-purpose flour.
2. Add Sour Cream.
3. Room Temperature Butter / Don’t Over-Cream.
4. Add a Touch of Baking Powder or Baking Soda.
5. Add Oil.
6. Don’t Over-Mix.
7. Don’t Over-Bake.
8. Brush With Simple Syrup/Other Liquid.

How to Keep Cakes Fresh and Flavorful

1. Store when completely cooled. Cakes with frostings or fillings containing dairy products should be refrigerated.
2. Store under cake cover or large bowl.
3. Freeze unfrosted cakes.
4. Freeze cakes with frosting.
5. Thaw cakes at room temperature.

Cakes can be baked up to two days in advance, stored tightly wrapped with plastic wrap in the fridge or at room temperature.

Now for the “why” of simple syrup: Simply put it keeps the cake moist throughout every stage of assembly and decoration. Not only does it help keep your cake moist, but it also helps to add sweet flavor which is always good!

How much is not enough, enough and too much? The main reason that you would use simple syrup on your cake is to give it a little added flavor and help keep moisture in. It won`t be able to deeply moisten a dry cake because the amount of syrup you would have to add to the baked cake would weaken the structure.

Sugar alternatives

1. Try making cakes with ground almonds or grated vegetables.
2. Natural sugars, such as honey or maple syrup.
3. Icing tends to be very high in sugar, and the easiest way to reduce sugar in cakes is by using less icing, buttercream and fillings.
4. Sweeteners that have been formulated in laboratories.

The key to moistening your cake with simple syrup is quality over quantity. Simple syrup is thin enough to slip into the crevices of your cake, making it moist all the way through, but it is also thick enough that it won’t just make your cake soggy.

You’re not physically submerging your cake in anything—just giving it a little extra moisture. “It’s also a great way to add flavor,” says Saffitz. Make simple syrup and add a couple tablespoons of bourbon or lemon juice. Then poke holes all over your cake with a toothpick, and drizzle the mixture over the surface.

A dry cake is usually the result of one of the following pitfalls: using the wrong ingredients, making mistakes while mixing the batter, or baking the cake too long or at too high a temperature. Once you understand how to avoid the common cake-baking blunders, you’ll bake a moist cake every time.

Eggs + yolks: Extra YOLKS means more fat which gives the cake ultra moistness! Add the amount of eggs called for in the recipe but add two extra egg yolks. The extra yolks add the density and moisture you’d find in a bakery cake!

Making a cake flour substitute is easy with the following two ingredients: all-purpose flour and either cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder back in.