A fun spin on classic Banana Bread; this gluten-free Hummingbird Bread is filled with pineapple, pecans, coconut and cinnamon. Topped with cream cheese frosting, it’s irresistible!
Have you ever had Hummingbird Cake?
I might have mentioned before that my Mom has her own small business where she makes and decorates cakes (and all sorts of other treats, really). You could say baking runs in the family 😉
Hummingbird Cake is one of the flavors she makes, and it’s a fun one.
Hummingbird Cake is a southern cake that’s like banana cake, but with the addition of pecans, pineapple, cinnamon and (sometimes) coconut.
It’s a fruity, tropical cake. You could say it’s sort of like Banana Cake and Carrot Cake combined (if you like your carrot cake with pineapple, that is).
So I thought I’d have fun with it and turn it into breakfast. Cause sometimes you need cream cheese frosting for breakfast. 🙂
My gluten-free Hummingbird Bread is my classic Banana Bread recipe with the addition of pineapple, pecans, coconut and cinnamon. It’s topped with a small batch of cream cheese frosting too.
It’s not as sweet as classic Hummingbird Cake, so instead you get banana bread with hints of pineapple, coconut and cinnamon, with crunchy pecans throughout.
This loaf makes a great weekend breakfast, or Spring treat!
HUMMINGBIRD FLAVORS
First and foremost, for this Hummingbird Bread you need pineapple.
I like to use crushed pineapples. This way, when you slice into your bread later, it’s still easy to cut into.
If you use pineapple chunks, cutting into the bread can be pretty hard. If you only have pineapple chunks, just be sure to dice them up very finely and then they should work okay still.
Prior to adding the pineapple to the bread batter, you’ll strain it over a bowl. This will simply remove any excess pineapple juice so your bread batter doesn’t get too wet.
You can always keep the excess pineapple juice to use in other recipes (or drink it!). I like to add a little to my cream cheese frosting for an extra pineapple flair.
Next up, you’ll add pecans.
Finely chopped pecans are best. I don’t recommend using any other nuts; the buttery flavor of pecan is best. If you need the cake to be nut-free, simply omit the pecans.
And finally: coconut.
Not everyone adds coconut to a Hummingbird Cake (or, Hummingbird Bread). I love it though! It adds another fruity, tropical flair to the flavor that’s delicious.
Plus, I love coconut. 🙂 If you aren’t a fan of coconut, or prefer not to use it, feel free to just omit it.
And don’t forget to use the most brown, spotty, overripe bananas you can find! They’ll give you the sweetest bread.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
This is a very small batch of cream cheese frosting. It’s very simple: made with cream cheese, butter, vanilla and powdered sugar.
I do like to use a little bit of the excess pineapple juice for an extra bit of pineapple flavor. Totally optional; it will make the frosting a little thinner.
Love Banana Bread? Pineapple, pecans, cinnamon and coconut too? Join the club, and make this Hummingbird Bread! 🙂
After you make it, let me know what you think! Leave a comment and rating, below. I love to hear from ya’ll!
Before you go, you might want to check out my gluten-free Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Scones, Butter Pecan Cookies, Carrot Cake Banana Bread, and Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Bread.
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cup overripe banana, mashed (about 3 bananas)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 eggs
- 1 3/4 cup gluten-free all purpose flour
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple*
- 1/3 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp pineapple juice (optional)
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To begin, preheat your oven to 350. Line a loaf pan (9×5) with parchment paper, with two ends sticking out for easy removal.
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Put a strainer over a small bowl. Add your 1/2 cup of pineapple. Gently press it down, to remove any excess moisture. Set aside.
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To a large mixing bowl, add your butter and brown sugar and beat together with a mixer till creamy. Add your banana and vanilla and beat together again till combined. Add your eggs and briefly blend them in.
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To the same bowl, add your flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Stir everything together till you have a thick quick bread batter. Add your pineapple (set the juice aside), pecans and coconut. Stir together till everything is well combined.
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Pour into your loaf pan in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 60-70 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *If the top is browning too much towards the end of the baking time, cover it lightly with tin foil.
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Let cool entirely before adding frosting on top.
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To a medium mixing bowl, add your cream cheese and beat it with a mixer till smooth. Add your butter and vanilla and beat together till smooth again. Add your powdered sugar and 1 tbsp of the pineapple juice you set aside (if you'd like). Beat again till you have a smooth and creamy frosting.
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Spread across the top of your cooled loaf. Slice and devour!
*If you don’t have crushed pineapple, you can use pineapple chunks as well. I would recommend dicing the chunks into small bits prior to using (or the bread will be very had to cut through evenly).
**Stored in an airtight container in the fridge, this bread lasts about a week.
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