Tasty Hummingbird Cake Muffins

I didn’t try hummingbird cake until I was in my thirties, and I couldn’t believe what I’d been missing. My neighbor brought one to a block party, packed with bananas, pineapple, and pecans. It was love at first bite.

The problem with regular hummingbird cake is that it’s a project—three layers, cream cheese frosting, and a whole afternoon in the kitchen. These muffins give you all those same flavors without the fuss. You get that sweet, fruity taste in a grab-and-go format that’s perfect for busy mornings or lunchboxes.

What Kind of Banana Should I Use?

For hummingbird cake muffins, you’ll want to use bananas that are nice and ripe – think yellow with plenty of brown spots or even mostly brown. These overripe bananas are much sweeter and mash easily, which is exactly what you need for the best flavor and texture. If your bananas are still pretty green or just yellow, let them sit on the counter for a few days until they develop those brown spots. In a pinch, you can speed up the ripening process by placing them in a paper bag with an apple overnight, or even pop them in a 300°F oven for about 15 minutes until the skin turns black.

Options for Substitutions

These muffins are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so here’s what you can do if you’re missing a few things:

• Crushed pineapple: If you don’t have crushed pineapple, you can finely chop fresh pineapple or use canned pineapple tidbits. Just make sure to drain well and pat dry with paper towels to avoid extra moisture.
• Pecans: Walnuts work great as a substitute, or you can use chopped almonds if that’s what you have. In a pinch, you could even skip the nuts entirely.
• Sour cream: Greek yogurt makes an excellent swap for sour cream in the glaze. You can also use cream cheese that’s been softened and thinned with a little milk.
• Brown sugar: You can replace brown sugar with regular white sugar, though you’ll lose some of that molasses flavor. If you want to keep it, mix 1 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses for each cup of brown sugar needed.
• Banana: Make sure your banana is really ripe – the more brown spots, the better! If yours isn’t quite there yet, you can roast it in a 300°F oven for 15-20 minutes to speed up the process.
• Whole milk: Any milk you have works fine – 2%, skim, or even buttermilk will do the job in the glaze.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making hummingbird cake muffins is overmixing the batter once you add the flour – this creates tough, dense muffins instead of light and fluffy ones, so stir just until the ingredients are barely combined. Make sure your pineapple is well-drained by pressing it with paper towels or even squeezing it gently in a clean kitchen towel, as excess moisture can make your muffins soggy and prevent them from rising properly. Don’t skip bringing your eggs to room temperature, which helps create a smoother batter and better texture – you can quick-warm them by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes if you forgot to take them out early. For the crumb topping, keep your butter cold and work it in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs, and avoid overbaking by checking with a toothpick at the minimum baking time since muffins can go from perfect to dry very quickly.

What to Serve With Hummingbird Cake Muffins?

These muffins are perfect on their own for breakfast or an afternoon snack, but they pair wonderfully with a hot cup of coffee or black tea. The sweet banana and pineapple flavors also go great with a glass of cold milk, especially if you’re serving them to kids. For a more indulgent treat, try them alongside vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for dessert. You can also serve them at brunch with fresh fruit salad or yogurt to balance out all those delicious flavors.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These hummingbird cake muffins stay moist and delicious when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The banana and pineapple keep them nice and tender, so they actually taste great even after a day or two. If you live somewhere really humid, pop them in the fridge instead.

Freeze: You can absolutely freeze these muffins for up to 3 months! I like to wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, then store them all in a freezer bag. This way you can grab just one or two whenever you want a sweet treat without thawing the whole batch.

Enjoy: To enjoy frozen muffins, just let them thaw at room temperature for about an hour, or pop them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If you want to refresh day-old muffins, a quick 10-second zap in the microwave brings back that just-baked softness.

Preparation Time	30-45 minutes
Cooking Time	20-30 minutes
Total Time	50-75 minutes
Level of Difficulty	Medium

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2600-2900
• Protein: 25-30 g
• Fat: 145-155 g
• Carbohydrates: 330-360 g

Ingredients

For the streusel topping:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecan halves

For the cinnamon sugar layer:

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the muffin batter:

• 1 large banana, mashed (about 120 gm)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup browned unsalted butter, cooled

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1-1/2 tsp whole milk

Step 1: Brown the Butter

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

Cube 1/2 cup unsalted butter and place it in a small saucepan or frying pan over medium heat.

Stir occasionally until melted, then stir more frequently as the butter begins to brown.

Watch for amber flecks forming at the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma—this should take close to ten minutes.

Once the butter is browned, remove it from the pan, transfer to a separate bowl, and refrigerate until it cools to room temperature.

Step 2: Make the Streusel Topping

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pecan halves
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, combine 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Dice 1/2 cup unsalted butter (it does not mention browning here; use regular) and cut it into the flour mixture using a fork or pastry cutter until pea-sized clumps form.

Toss in 1/2 cup chopped pecan halves.

Chill the streusel in the fridge until ready to use.

Step 3: Prepare the Cinnamon Sugar Sprinkle

• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Set aside for later use.

Step 4: Mix the Muffin Batter

• 1 large banana, mashed (about 120 gm)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup browned unsalted butter, cooled (from Step 1)
• 1-1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine 1 large mashed banana, 2 large eggs (room temperature), 1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Beat on medium speed until well-combined and slightly whipped, about 1½–2 minutes.

Add the cooled browned butter from Step 1 and mix to incorporate.

In another bowl, whisk together 1½ cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until just combined, scraping the bowl as needed.

I like to scrape the bowl well to make sure every bit of flour is incorporated, but be careful not to overmix for fluffy muffins.

Step 5: Assemble and Bake the Muffins

• muffin batter (from Step 4)
• cinnamon sugar sprinkle (from Step 3)
• streusel topping (from Step 2)

Scoop 2 tablespoons of muffin batter into the bottom of each lined muffin cup.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture from Step 3 evenly over each scoop.

Then add about 1/3 of the streusel from Step 2 among the 12 cups.

Top each with another 2 tablespoons of batter and finish by sprinkling the remaining streusel on top.

Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan.

I always let my muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes—if you take them out too soon, they might fall apart, so be patient!

Step 6: Make and Drizzle the Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1-1/2 tsp whole milk

In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons sour cream, and 1½ teaspoons whole milk until smooth.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins as desired—you can use a spoon or a piping bag for neat lines.

For an extra touch of flavor, sometimes I add a tiny splash of vanilla extract to the glaze.