Best Ever Hummingbird Banana Bread

This Hummingbird Banana Bread is super simple to make and tastes just like an authentic hummingbird cake! Chock full of pineapples, pecans, toasted coconut and banana flavors in one moist and delicious bread!

The more I live in Sacramento, the more I realize there is a sore lack of really good bakeries around here.

I just returned from Paris, Land of Bakeries, and spent 10 days being swooned by every baked good under the sun. Macaron shops as far as the eye can see. Beautiful, towering cakes lining shop windows. Croissants – so. many. croissants. Eclairs. Parfaits. Kouign Amann, which is freaking fantastic and pronounced “queen a-mahn” if you didn’t know. I mean, shoot, even the Parisian McDonald’s had freaking macarons! At my local McDonald’s, I can’t even get the 18 year old working behind the counter to fix the McFlurry machine.

All I’m asking for is for someone to open up a bakery (don’t you dare say me!) in my county and have it serve fantastic cakes, tiramisu, pies, and all the like. And again, please don’t suggest I do it. I’ve worked in a bakery before and there is no way in actual hell, heaven, Earth, or in the universe I would EVER open one. Waking up at 1am to bake breads and cupcakes is not my idea of a good time. It’s also not very fun when you run out of red velvet cupcakes on Valentine’s Day at 6pm, minutes before closing, and some idiot man screams at you because he waited until the very last second to get his girlfriend cupcakes. (Also, red velvet cupcakes are not even good, much less worth screaming over, but please, regale me again with the tale of how I ruined Valentine’s Day because you’re a procrastinating thoughtless oaf).

ANYWAY. What I’m trying to say is there’s a real lack of good cakes around here, and I don’t think the average Californian has heard of hummingbird cake which is a crying shame. If you didn’t know, hummingbird cakes actually hail from Jamaica, where they’re often called “Doctor Bird” cake. It’s essentially a very moist cake made with bananas, pineapples, pecans and coconut and topped with a cream cheese icing. Talk about DELICIOUS, right?

Well, since I’m determined to Make Californians Hummingbird Cake Eaters (official campaign slogan TBA) I decided to make this Hummingbird Banana Bread and boy, was it a fantastic decision.

If you haven’t tried my Best Ever Banana Bread, here’s your formal invitation to try it. This takes my classic best-ever banana bread and doctors it with so many amazing flavors and textures that your whole world will explode with happiness upon the first bite. The bread itself is more cake-like but that’s not to imply it is dry or crumbly. This cake-bread is super moist and flavorful, thanks to the banana, pineapple, Greek yogurt, and instant dry pudding mix which is my secret ingredient for ultra moist and delicious banana bread! Then we add in some chopped pecans and toasted coconut for extra flavor and richness.

The result is the most flavorful and delicious Hummingbird Banana Bread ever! Trust me, you do not want to sleep on this recipe!

*adapted from my Best Ever Banana Bread recipe

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Best Ever Hummingbird Banana Bread

This Hummingbird Banana Bread is one of the BEST banana bread recipes I've tried! Chock-full of bananas, pineapple, pecans and toasted coconut for a supremely moist and flavorful bread that tastes like a classic Hummingbird cake!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 10 mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 6 -8

Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup Greek yogurt plain or banana flavored
• 2 cups mashed bananas about 3-4 small bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (small 3.4 oz box) instant banana pudding mix (JUST the dry powder)
• 1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple drained
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 cup lightly toasted coconut divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Liberally grease a 9" loaf pan with cooking spray. For best results, I like using a light metal loaf pan or a disposable pan as they cook more consistently. Note that your bread may take longer or be cooked inconsistently with a dark loaf pan or glass loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with a handheld electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the Greek yogurt, bananas, and vanilla extract. Switching to a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the cinnamon, baking soda, salt, flour, and dry pudding powder into the batter until just barely combined. Do not over-mix, as this leads to tough bread! Gently fold in the pineapple, pecans, and 1/2 cup of the toasted coconut. Batter may still be lumpy, that's okay!
• Spread the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth out the top. Top the bread with the remaining 1/2 cup toasted coconut.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then loosely tent a piece of foil over the top of the bread and continue baking for another 30 minutes or until a toothpick or cake skewer inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs. Cool completely before cutting into slices.
• NOTE: To toast coconut, add the coconut flakes to a dry skillet and toast on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until barely toasted. They should have a touch of light golden brown color but should not be darker than that as the coconut will continue to darken in the oven.

Amazingly moist, tender, flavorful and delicious bread – you’ll love it!

Check out these other easy breakfast treats!

Best Caramel Apple Bread

Best Ever Zucchini Walnut Bread

Oreo Banana Bread

Have a super sweet day!

xo, Hayley