Hummingbird Cake

Hello! Everyday, I'm receiving alerts on Facebook of new followers to my Double Dipped Sweets page. You are coming over from Pinterest, and I have to say, THANK YOU!

As a thank you gift, I finally made this cake that I've had my eye on for awhile. This cake is labor intensive. But, oh, my goodness, it's so full of flavor! It's a rich, dense cake; a mix between cake and bread. The flavors of banana and pineapple are perfect for this time of year, and it quickly became one of our favorites!

 Hummingbird Cake

 Adapted from boulderlocavore

Plan on 1-2 hours for prep and cook time.

Cake

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh pineapple, crushed (see below)   ** I used canned crushed pineapple with a little bit of juice.
2 cups roasted bananas*, mashed (approximately 4 large or 6 medium-small bananas with peel left on; instructions below)
1 cup chopped pecans
Parchment paper to line bottom of the cake pan **I sprayed the pans with flour/oil


Cream Cheese Frosting  **I used my own time tested frosting. The cold butter used in the original recipe didn't blend very well.

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 lb butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

4 cup powdered sugar

1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. *Place bananas on a cookie sheet with peels left on. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until the skins are black (the bananas may leak which is fine). Remove and let cool until they can be handled. Peel bananas, place in a small mixing bowl and mash. Set aside. Leave the oven heated to 350 degrees.
3. Butter and flour 3-9 inch round baking pans. Trace the bottom of the pan (for all three pans) onto parchment paper, cut out circle and place in the bottom of each pan.
4. In a sifter over a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Sift into the bowl. Set aside.
5. In a second large mixing bowl combine the granulated and brown sugar; stir to combine. Add the eggs and stir briskly by hand to combine all ingredients into a smooth mixture.
6. Whisk the oil and vanilla into the sugar/egg mixture until combined and smooth.
7. Add the flour mixture all at once and hand stir (do not beat) to combine the mixture fully.
8. To crush the pineapple: Place 1 cup of finely diced fresh pineapple in a medium mixing bowl and using a potato masher, crush the pineapple. Add the fruit and juice to the batter. Also add the mashed banana and the pecans. Stir just until combined; do not over stir.
9. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Tap the pans on the countertop to release any air bubbles and place in the 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until cake bounces back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
10. Allow to cool in pans on racks for 5 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks to fully cool before frosting. Be sure to peel off and discard the parchment paper.
Instructions for Cream Cheese Frosting:
11.  Blend all frosting ingredients together.
12. Fold in pecans by hand. 
Instructions for Cake Assembly:
13. Place the first layer of cake upside down (the bottom of the cake will be frosted) on the serving plate. Cover with 2/3 cup of frosting. This will be a thin covering.
14. Place the second layer of cake right side up (flat cake bottom onto the frosting) and frost the top of this layer with 2/3 cup again (note: I found I needed just a bit more to cover this layer).
15. Place the last cake layer with cake right side up and use the remaining frosting to cover top of cake and the sides.
16. 4. Allow cake to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving and store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator. Cake best when made the day prior to serving!

Enjoy!

Pineapple Sweet Potatoes

Okay... so not the greatest picture, but seriously. How can mashed sweet potatoes look great? Just believe me when I tell you that these are amazing.

I grew up HATING sweet potatoes. About a year ago or so, my Father-In-Law made them and I ventured a taste. It was an amazing taste experience! I realized then that what I had hated all my life was sweet potatoes with marshmallows... you know the dish I mean... My FIL had cooked these just like potatoes in the oven, and we ate them right out of the skins. The natural goodness had me very surprised!

Another week, he asked me to look in his cookbooks and find a different recipe for sweet potatoes. We found this one, and after some changes, it has become our favorite to serve!

This dish is sweet, but not overly so. The flavors blend perfectly. It's also great to use up leftover plain sweet potatoes. Give it a try!

Pineapple Sweet Potatoes
By The Double Dipped Life

About 6 medium sweet potatoes
3/4 cup packed Brown Sugar
3 TB Margarine or Butter
10-12 oz crushed pineapple- drained. Keep the syrup. You can add it to the potatoes if they are too thick. Otherwise, add it to your drinking juice!
1/2 teas salt

Wash and peel the sweet potatoes. Cut into bite-sized chunks, and cook in boiling water until tender. You may also prick the skins and bake them in a 400 degree oven for 45-60 minutes.

Drain, and cut potatoes into bite sized pieces, if not already done. Set aside.

In a large skillet, mix remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly. Add sweet potato chunks; stir gently until glazed and heated through.

Enjoy!!

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken and Tropical Salad

I found this great salad and chicken recipe from Eat at Home. She got it from For the Love of Grub. Pairing the chicken with the salad gives you a sublime main dish!

Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

6 boneless chicken breasts
2 cups pineapple juice
2 TB. Worcestershire sauce
2 TB. soy sauce
2 TB. brown sugar

Combine all the ingredients, except the chicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate. The longer the chicken marinates, the better. (up to 24 hours) Cook them on the grill or bake them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. While the chicken cooks, you can put the salad together!

Tropical Salad

1 head romaine lettuce, torn
I added some spinach leaves as well
3 green onions, chopped
6 slices of bacon, crumbled
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained and reserved for dressing
1/2 cup macadamia nut pieces
1/4 cup toasted coconut **

Salad Dressing

1/4 to 1/2 cup pineapple juice ***
3 TB. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 completed recipe of the Hawaiian Chicken


** To toast coconut: Pour the 1/4 cup shredded coconut into a small frying pan. Toast on Medium heat, stirring occasionally, until coconut is browned. Watch carefully!! It can go from toasted to burned pretty quickly!

*** The original recipe called for 1/4 cup of pineapple juice. I ended up using more, but didn't measure.

In a large bowl, combine the salad ingredients. Add more or less of the ingredients to fit your taste!

Get the Macadamia nuts you need before they are invaded...

In a container with a tight fitting lid, combine the other ingredients. Shake to mix. Pour over the salad right before serving. Serve Hawaiian Chicken over the top!

Daughter preparing dressing! See- it's easy!


Enjoy!

Pineapple Cilantro Rice

When my Dad and Brother came to visit last month, it was a opportunity to try some recipes that I've been wanting to make. This rice was one of them. I paired it with the Crispy Coconut Chicken and it was the perfect side dish! And believe me, if Dad likes it... so will you!

The original recipe comes from the gals at Our Best Bites, but I changed it up a little. It's a recipe that is easily catered to fit your tastes. The rice can be any flavor, and you can add more or less of any of the ingredients.

Pineapple Coconut Rice with Lime and Cilantro

1 cup dry rice, cooked in 2 cups of water. I used Jasmine Rice- following the package directions, but you can use white, brown, neon pink... whatever you like the best!
2 TB butter
Juice from 1 large lime (You might need more. The rice absorbs the juice- taste as you go)
1-2 small cans crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 - 1 cup shredded coconut
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook your rice according to package directions. When done, add butter, and stir to melt. Add lime juice, pineapple, coconut, and cilantro. Stir to combine, tasting (a very important step!), and adding more ingredients if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Because of the nature of rice, sucking in every kind of juice in comes in contact with, you will want to serve this right away. If you don't, you might need to add some more lime juice. Otherwise, cook the rice, add the butter, and then mix in the rest right before serving.

Enjoy!

Tropical Rice Pudding

My hubby is a big fan of Rice Pudding. It's growing on me. I never had it growing up, so it's something new. I really only make it now when I have extra rice. And, boy, did I have extra rice!

The other night I made Thai Fried Rice and forgot that 1 cup of Jasmine rice = 3 cups of cooked rice! I looked at my recipe, saw it needed 2 1/2 cups of rice...so I cooked 3 cups of DRY rice! I had sooo much rice left over... I knew that Rice Pudding was on the menu!

Tropical Rice Pudding

You can really use any type of rice with this dish. From regular to minute rice. If you use regular rice, cook it first, before starting the rice pudding. You can also use any leftovers! If you are using minute rice, you do not need to cook it first!

3 cups milk
1 cup Minute white rice, uncooked (see above!)
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup dried pineapple
1 cup coconut flakes
1/4 teas. salt
2 eggs
1 teas vanilla
1 teas cinnamon

If you use more than 1 cup of rice, then add more milk and sugar accordingly!

Combine milk, rice, sugar, pineapple, coconut, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Beat eggs and vanilla lightly in a small bowl. Stir small amount of hot rice mixture into eggs. Then, stirring constantly, slowly pour egg mixture back into the hot rice mixture. Mix in cinnamon.

Stirring constantly, cook on low heat 1 minute until thickened. Do not boil.

Remove from heat. Let stand 30 minutes.

Serve warm or cold! Store any remaining pudding in refrigerator.

Tips: You can vary the flavor of this rice pudding by trying different types of dried fruits, such as raisins, dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, or dried sweetened cranberries!

Hawaiian Haystacks

One word... Yum!
Another word... Versatile!
Okay, another word... Dinner party!

Hawaiian Haystacks

2 cans cream of chicken soup
1-2 cups boned, cooked chicken

2 c or can of chicken broth
3 cups cooked rice
crispy Chinese noodles
pineapple chunks
tomato, chopped
Green peppers, chopped
Green onions, sliced
Coconut
Grated cheddar cheese
Slivered almonds

*Pick up a rotisserie chicken at your grocery store, and shred! Easy!

Combine soup, broth, and chicken, cook until warmed through. Put the rest of the ingredients in small bowls or arrange on a large platter. Let everyone build their own "haystacks"!

Carrot Cake

Have you ever had one of those dishes that you thought was just sooo good, that it had to be super complicated to make? My Grandma Arleen's carrot cake is just that good. I've never made it, because I knew that it must be so complicated, and way beyond my skills. This is seriously the best carrot cake I've ever had, and when I was married, hubby agreed.

Then, the other day at work, my coworker said that she had never had carrot cake! I couldn't believe my ears! It was time to buckle down and make this cake.

I opened the cookbook... found the recipe... took a deep breath...and What?!??! Is it really that easy? Why haven't I made this sooner? Turns out that this work of art is as simple as making brownies! Who would've thought?

Grandma Arleen's Carrot Cake

2 cup sugar

2 cup flour

1 1/2 cup oil (can substitute applesauce for the oil)

3 eggs

1 cup shredded coconut

2 cups walnuts, chopped

8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cup raw carrots, grated

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

Okay, here's the hard part. Are you ready?

Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl for 3 minutes.

That's it!

Pour into 2 round cake pans, or 1 9x13 pan.

Bake 20 minutes at 350,

then 40 minutes at 300.

After cake cools, frost with Cream Cheese Frosting and coconut:

Cream Cheese Frosting

8 oz package cream cheese, softened

1/4 lb butter, softened

1 tsp vanilla

4 cup powdered sugar

Beat together and spread on cake.

Top with shredded coconut, and more walnuts if desired!

Note: Light cream cheese or non-fat ricotta cheese (whipped) works well and saves calories!