A Southern cake made popular after it appeared in the February 1978 issue of Southern Living Magazine. How the hummingbird cake got its name is unknown, some say it's due to the cake's fruity sweet taste that is sweet enough to catch a hummingbird's attention. Hummingbird cake consists of three layers of cake full of chopped pecans, crushed pineapple, and mashed bananas that are filled and frosted with a delicious cream cheese icing. This is a very easy cake to make. In fact, put away your electric mixer and just use two mixing bowls; one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients, and stir by hand.