Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 2 cups banana chopped
• 8 ounce pineapple crushed undrained canned
• 3 large eggs beaten
• 3 cups flour all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 0.5 cup pecans chopped
• 1 cup pecans chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 12 servings shortening 
• 2 cups sugar 
• 1.5 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 5.5 cups vegetable oil 

Equipment

• bowl
• oven
• whisk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 35
2. Whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in vanilla, pineapple, bananas, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans. Spoon batter into 3 well-greased (with shortening) and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
3. Bake at350 for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes our clean. Cool cake layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks, and cool completely (about 1 hour).
4. Place 1 cake layer on a serving platter.
5. Spread 1 cup Cream Cheese Frosting over cake layer. Top with second layer, and spread 1 cup frosting over cake layer. Top with third cake layer, and spread top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Arrange toasted pecan halves in a circular pattern over top of cake.