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Tasha Tudor, Hummingbirds & Cake

July 15, 2011

Tasha Tudor

Tasha Tudor was an author and illustrator of many books and gardener extraordinaire.  Her beloved gardens and her home in Marlboro, Vermont are a beautiful memory of the woman who lived in a simpler way even in modern day.  Tasha Tudor passed away a few years ago, but her children’s stories, garden books, and recipes remain.

tasha tudors garden

Her Hummingbird Cake Recipe (which has some similarity to my favorite carrot cake) was one Southern Living’s  most popular recipes of all time.  (Proving that even Northerners can cook like Southerners right?).  I thought of it because I have been seeing so many hummingbirds in my garden lately.  I never saw hummingbirds in the early years of our garden but now, (I pat my self on the back), I am pleased to see that they have found my home welcoming.

tasha tudor's garden

Here is the Humminbird Cake recipe from Tasha Tudor’s Website:

Ingredients:

for Cake

3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 8-oz. can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 cups chopped banana

for Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
1 16 oz. pkg. confectioners sugar

Directions:

Cake: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened…DO NOT BEAT. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas and 1 cup pecans. Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes clean. Cool cake in pans for 10 minutes then turn out and cool completely on wire racks.

Frosting: Mix butter, cream cheese and vanilla until soft and beaten. Add confectioners sugar until blended. Spread frosting between layers and sides/top of cake. Sprinkle chopped pecans on the top of the cake. (remember with a crumbly moist cake, put a very thin layer of frosting on first to “seal” the cake, then you can go back over and swirl the rest of the frosting all over)

hummingbird cake

garden images from gracious hospitality and hot milk. Hummingbird cake Image from Ezra Pound Cake

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  1. jil casey says:

    Tasha Tudor was a unique person and lived an interesting life. I read a book once about her and was very impressed by her.

  2. laguna dirt says:

    i learned about tasha because she had a pack of corgis and we bought one (rip beryl!!) years ago. i then fell in love with her children’s books, and was later surprised that a favorite songbook that my family grew up with was illustrated by her. the best thing was her simple, down-to-earth lifestyle. can’t wait to try the cake!! is her home open to the public? we will be in antrim, new hampshire for several weeks in septemer–worth a little road trip that direction?
    thanks for sharing!!!

  3. Marni says:

    This is by far (and I’ve eaten a lot of cake) the best cake I have ever had!
    It was just perfect, healthier than most, moist, rich, just sweet enough but
    not over the top…so good!

  4. theaxx says:

    gorgeous! I’m going to try it!

    thea.
    xx

    spoonfulzine

  5. Liz says:

    Best cake we ever ate! Really hard to cut neatly so next time I’ll bake it in a sheet cake pan and serve straight from the pan.
    This is cake perfection!

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