Eggland’s Best America’s Best Recipe Contest ~ Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake

Eggland’s Best has just opened voting for the Southeast Regional Semi-Finalist recipes, and I am honored to have had my recipe for Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake chosen to represent Georgia!

The contest closed in 2018 and the recipe is no longer available online, however you can try my newer adapted version of the original recipe below!

Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened or melted and cooled), or vegetable oil
3 large eggs
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon spiced rum or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup crushed pineapple with juices
1/2 cup mashed banana

Line an 8 to 9 inch baking pan with foil or parchment paper, leaving ends hanging over the side.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, pecans, salt, cinnamon, and 1 cup of the sugar. Drizzle the butter, or vegetable oil into the mixture and stir together so that it clumps. Remove 1/2 cup of the mixture and set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, one egg, and rum or vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.

Beat remaining 2 eggs into the cake mixture with the baking powder, banana and pineapple, just until combined. Transfer cake batter into the prepared baking pan. Drop cream cheese mixture by spoonful evenly over the batter and swirl gently with spatula or table knife. Top the cake with the reserved streusel mixture.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool, cut into squares or wedges and serve.

Here are some tips for making my Hummingbird Streusel Coffee Cake:

• make the cream cheese and egg mixture first and refrigerate it until you’re ready to add into the cake just prior to baking
• measuring the ingredients is critical in this recipe; make sure you use liquid measures for the liquid ingredients (banana, pineapple and vegetable oil)
• toast your pecans and let them cool before adding them to the streusel mixture
• baking time will depend on the type and size of baking dish you use, if the cake is still wiggly in the middle after 35 minutes, bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer

I hope you enjoy it!

*I tested a gluten free version of this coffee cake today so my daughter could try it and it worked perfectly. To make it gluten free, substitute a 1 to 1 gluten free baking mix for the flour and add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum. Or make your own gluten free baking mix by combining 1/2 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup oat flour or sorghum flour and 1/4 cup potato starch or tapioca starch.  This cake was baked in a 9 inch pyrex pie plate and took 40 minutes to bake. I think the gluten free version has more pecan flavor, it reminds me of a pecan pie!