Hummingbird Cake

I've heard of this cake for years, but hadn't ever tasted it. Seems to be a southern recipe, a must-have at garden parties, tea parties, luncheons and such.  Yesterday, friends came over with a homemade hummingbird cake they had received as a gift, and asked if I would like a slice.  Honestly, how does one refuse an offer of a dessert named after a hummingbird?

They left me with a very generous slice.... and I've been tempted to make it all disappear, but I'm keeping half of it in the fridge so my husband can taste it when he gets home from work. What a glorious cake!  I've already looked up recipes for Hummingbird Cake on the Internet, and there's certainly a variety of recipes to choose from.  I also looked through my own cookbooks, and there's a great recipe in my dessert book by "The Charleston Cake Lady" which I will no doubt try.

The cake from our friends had bananas, strawberries, pineapple, and pecans in it...... the Charleston Cake Lady doesn't have strawberries in her recipe, but I have to say that the sweet strawberries are a nice match with the bananas and pineapples.  And, of course, the pecans. (Is there any southern cake that doesn't include pecans?)  The cake is made in three layers, with a cream-cheese frosting covering the entire cake.

I also looked on the Internet to see why this dessert is called Hummingbird Cake, but I couldn't find a definitive answer.  Delicious cake, though... and by the looks of the recipe, it's an easy from-scratch cake to bake. (Famous last words.)