Hummingbird Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 2 9-inch round cake pans, line with parchment paper cut to fit the bottom, grease the paper, and dust the pans with flour. Gently tap out any excess flour. Set aside.

Drain the pineapple using a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Press firmly to extract the juice. Set the solids aside and pour the juice into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the sugar and eggs together until pale in color, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the oil, butter, and molasses. Stir in the bananas, pecans, vanilla, pineapple bits, and the reduced juice.

Add the flour mixture and stir just until combined. Take care not to overmix.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans and smooth the tops with a silicone spatula. Bake 40-45 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 20 minutes, then remove them from the pans and allow them to cool completely on the wire, about 2 hours.

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt on low speed until smooth. Continue to mix for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Increase the speed to medium-low and add the cream cheese, one piece at a time. Continue to mix until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Assemble the cake

Place 1 cake layer onto a serving platter. Spread 1 ½ cups frosting evenly over the top, all the way to the edge of the cake.

Top with the remaining cake layer, pressing lightly to make sure it stays in place. Spread another 1 ½ cups frosting evenly over the top.

Spread the remaining frosting evenly over the sides of the cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth the frosting.

Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before serving.