Hummingbird Muffins: Some History & Lulu's Bakery

While perusing the offerings at Lulu's Bakery & Pantry in Salem (one of my favorite bakeries), I saw a small sign stating "Hummingbird Muffins." That's the first time I've seen them at the bakery. I was unfamiliar with the term but the sign stated the muffins were made with pecans, bananas, pineapple and coconut. That greatly appealed to me so I bought a few of the muffins to take home. 

When I got home, I also did some online searching, to learn more about "Hummingbird Muffins," and the results were quite intriguing. The Hummingbird Cake originated on Jamaica, where it was caused the Doctor Bird Cake. The Doctor Bird, a nickname for the swallow-tail hummingbird, is endemic to Jamaica and is also their National Bird. Why it's called the Doctor Bird is unknown. In addition, why the cake was called Doctor Bird Cake is also unknown. 

Around 1968, the Jamaica Tourist Board exported the recipe for Doctor Bird Cake to the United States, and it soon became popular, especially in the South. Basically, it's a banana-pineapple spice cake, and the more modern recipes commonly top it with a cream cheese frosting although the original recipes did not call for any type of frosting. 

The first printed recipe I found in the newspapers for Doctor Bird Cake was in The News (NJ), March 19, 1969. It was referred to as a Banana-Pineapple Cake, and noted the recipe was named after a hummingbird in Jamaica. It did not include any type of frosting. This same recipe would be repeated in numerous newspapers over the next 15 years, and beyond, including in North Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, NY, Vermont, Texas, and Alabama. This can be seen as the traditional recipe for this cake.

The first appearance of the term "Hummingbird Cake" was in an advertisement in 1972, only three years after the first appearance of "Doctor Bird Cake." Miss Hulling's mentioned that their bakery offered "Hummingbird Cake" for $2.85. With all the multiple mentions of Doctor Bird Cake at this period, it's clear that "Hummingbird Cake" had been adopted by some people although the reason for the name change is unclear. Maybe they felt "hummingbird" sounded more appealing than "doctor bird."

The Star-Herald (MS), June 1, 1972, published the above recipe for Hummingbird Cake, which contained the first significant differences in the traditional recipe. First, this recipe added a 1/2 cup of pecans. A number of later recipes would also call for pecans, or walnuts. Second, this recipe was the first to include a glaze to top the cake. The glaze was made from confectioners sugar, oleo, and pineapple or orange juice.

The Advocate Messenger (KY), December 22, 1974, then offered the first recipe with a cream cheese frosting. This would eventually become the norm, even though the original recipe didn't call for any type of frosting at all.  

The Herald (SC), July 30, 1975, provided a slightly different recipe for Doctor Bird Cake, with a main difference of adding a cup of chopped nuts. Again, there was no frosting on the cake. It's interesting that the recipes for "Hummingbird Cake" were the first to alter the traditional recipe. 

The Orlando Sentinel (FL), November 8, 1975, also provide a variation of the Doctor Bird Cake recipe, adding chopped pecans as well as 1/2 cup of candied cherries. 

Frosting appears! The Times-News (ID), April 26, 1976, provided a usual recipe for Doctor Bird Cake, except it added information for a cream cheese icing. However, into the early 1980s, other Doctor Bird recipes in other newspapers didn't include the use of a frosting. It took time for the frosting to be more commonly adopted by others. 

The Kingsport Times (TN), January 23, 1978, had a recipe with a Glaze for Doctor Bird Cake, made from pineapple juice, melted butter and confectioner's sugar. 

As for "Hummingbird Muffins," one of the first mentions was in the Asheville Citizen-Times, October 1, 1987. In a review of a restaurant and bakery, there was a mention of hummingbird muffins, made with banana, pineapple and walnuts. 

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As for Lulu's Hummingbird Muffins, their addition of coconut is not traditional, however it's a natural pairing for pineapple and banana. The muffin seemed heavy but that's not a negative, especially as it was quite moist, especially with the addition of the pineapple. It was delicious, with a nice blend of fruits and spices, and the added texture and taste of the pecans. The muffin was sweet, but not overly so, and the flavors were well balanced. I greatly enjoyed the muffins, and would definitely buy them again at Lulu's Bakery. Highly recommended!

And if you visit Lulu's Bakery, you also have to get some of their superb Whoopie Pies!