Banana. Pineapple. Warm spice. A soft, tender crumb. Finished with a lightly sweet cream cheese topping.

Traditionally, Hummingbird Cake is a layered Southern classic — but we’re not baking for a garden wedding. We’re baking for one (maybe two if someone charming appears).

So this is the Plan4One small-batch version: manageable, freezer-friendly, and deeply comforting.

Perfect for:

• Weekend baking
• Celebratory afternoon tea
• Using up ripe bananas
• Impressing someone without actually working that hard

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🍂 Why Hummingbird Cake Works in Autumn

Autumn is prime time for:

• Warm spices
• Banana bakes
• Slightly denser, comforting cakes

The pineapple adds natural sweetness and moisture, meaning we don’t need excessive sugar. It’s rich — but balanced.

And because we’re scaling it properly, you’re not stuck with 12 slices staring at you all week.

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🛒 Ingredients (1 Small Loaf – 4–6 Slices)

Pan size: Small loaf tin (approx. 20cm x 10cm)

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ¼ cup crushed pineapple (drained slightly)
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup neutral oil
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Optional Add-In

• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans

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👩‍🍳 Method

1️⃣ Preheat & Prep

Preheat oven to 170°C (fan 160°C).
Line or lightly grease your small loaf tin.

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2️⃣ Mix Wet Ingredients

In a bowl:

• Mash banana
• Stir in pineapple
• Add sugar, egg, oil, and vanilla
• Mix until combined

It should already smell like you’ve made a good decision.

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3️⃣ Mix Dry Ingredients

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together.

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4️⃣ Combine

Fold dry ingredients gently into wet mixture.

Stir in nuts if using.

Do not overmix.

Pour into prepared tin and smooth the top.

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5️⃣ Bake

Bake for 40–45 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean.

Cool in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Allow to cool completely before frosting.

(Yes, patience. I know.)

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✨ Light Cream Cheese Topping

Not a thick slab. Just enough.

Ingredients:

• 60g cream cheese, softened
• 1–2 tbsp icing sugar
• Tiny squeeze lemon juice (optional)

Whisk until smooth and spread thinly over cooled loaf.

You want balanced, not cloying.

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🥗 Nutritional Highlights (Per Slice – Approximate)

• Natural sweetness from banana and pineapple
• Healthy fats from nuts (if using)
• Balanced carbs + fats for satiety
• Moderate sugar compared to traditional versions

It’s indulgent — but controlled.

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🧊 Storage & Freezer Tips

• Unfrosted loaf: Freeze sliced up to 3 months
• Frosted loaf: Fridge up to 4–5 days
• Best practice: Freeze unfrosted, frost fresh

Reheat unfrosted slices lightly before adding cream cheese.

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💡 Plan4One Smart Baking Tips

• No pineapple? Replace with grated apple.
• No cream cheese? Skip frosting and dust lightly with icing sugar.
• Want extra texture? Add 1 tbsp shredded coconut.
• Only half a banana? Halve the recipe and bake as 2–3 muffins.

This cake is surprisingly flexible.

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☕ Perfect Pairings

• Flat white
• Spiced chai
• Long black
• Or eaten straight from the fridge with a fork because “it’s small anyway”

We’re adults. It’s fine.

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🍁 Why This Works for Plan4One Readers

You don’t need a three-layer cake with leftover frosting haunting you.

You need:
✔ Proper flavour
✔ Manageable portion
✔ Freezer flexibility
✔ Balanced sweetness
✔ Real-life practicality

This scaled-down Hummingbird Cake gives you all of that — without the chaos.

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If you bake this, tell me — nuts or no nuts? Full frosting or restrained spread?

Share it with a fellow solo baker or subscribe to Plan4One so you don’t miss the next cosy bake in our autumn series.