On July 29, 1981 at 4:00a.m. my mother woke us up to see the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana…Today, I woke my daughter up for the same ritual.  Without any prodding from me, my daughter has taken quite an interest in all things Kate Middleton…the way she dresses and the way she wears her hair are a big deal for Alyson.  While my interest in Lady Diana and her wedding to Prince Charles was nothing near my daughters’ fascination in Kate, I do understand the interest of a little girl getting a view of “the fairytale”.

We planned our wedding viewing party a few weeks ago and decided on cake and a sparkly beverage.  Because a proper royal wedding cake is usually fruit cake, I decided to make something with fruit but, not as heavy as a traditional fruit cake…Hummingbird Cake! I decided to scale my usual recipe down by half and modify it by adding brandy soaked raisins. Frosted with luscious cream cheese buttercream and adorned with a tulle bow(a nod to Kate’s tiny hats…Actually, I didn’t get to go out for flowers because of our weather.), we think it’s fit for a royal wedding, or fit for us to eat at 4:00a.m. while watching.  We made a sparkly drink out of white grape juice and ginger ale.

P.S. Thanks to Lisa at Sweet As Sugar Cookies for inviting me to post this recipe on her lovely blog

Easy cake batter…just mix dry ingredients, then add everything else!

Divided batter among 2 buttered & floured pans and bake for 25-28 minutes

A dab of frosting keeps cake in place…wax paper strips keep cake plate clean while you frost the cake…remove when finished.

Cut cake tops to level if needed. Now it’s time to frost the cake.

Quick decor needed?  Add a tulle bow as a topper.

Hummingbird Cake
makes two 6-inch layers
(double this recipe for three 8-inch layers)

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beated
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, do not drain
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cups raisins
2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier(orange liquer)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows*

*Make frosting and refrigerate for 2 hours before making the cake.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place raisins, hot water, and Grand Marnier in a shallow dish and allow raisins to plump for about 30 minutes.  Once raisins are ready, proceed with making cake batter.  In a large bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir to blend dry ingredients.  Add remaining ingredients, including all of raisin mixture.  Beat until well blended, about 1 minute.  Divide batter among prepared baking pans.

Bake for 25-28 minutes, until center springs back when touched. Remove from pans to cool on a baking rack.  Once cooled, cut tops to level if needed.  Frost with cream cheese buttercream.


Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
Makes 2 cups

1 8-ounce bar cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened
3 cups confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until well blended and smooth.  Add confectioners sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before frosting cake.