Doctor Bird Cake
The Backstory
All credits for the Doctor Bird Cake go to my Aunt Sis. She saved the recipe! The combination of bananas and pineapple make it ‘a cake that doesn’t last’ which is the tag line under the Favorite Dish heading in the newspaper. In fact, that’s what I called it for the first 20 years of making it. I found the recipe folded and tucked in a cookbook and by the condition of the photo, I think it’s time to retire it. Aunt Sis was also my Godmother, and when she passed away I had the privilege of picking a few treasures from her house. I’ll never forget the day I came home with her Dutch oven, a few aprons, and recipes in tow. Prized possessions.
Doctor Bird Newspaper Clip
Some of my favorite memories of Aunt Sis were her Saturday morning visits following her hair appointment. She would walk to her hair appointment at Opal’s, which was a shop in Opal’s house and then stop and visit with us on her way home – a total of 4 blocks. Aunt Sis and Uncle George lived in Gary, IN., and moved back to the area when they retired. The Saturday visits most memorable were during my high school and college days, and I loved seeing her and my dad sitting at the table drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and catching up. We all have images frozen in our heads, and this is one of mine.
Mixing Doctor Bird Cake
Doctor Bird Recipe
Spence of the Pictures staff.
Recently, I realized Southern Living’s Hummingbird Cake from the 1970’s is one of their most popular and most requested recipes, and it is exactly like The Doctor Bird Cake minus the nuts and icing. You can find Southen Living’s Hummingbird Cake recipe on their site here . Below you’ll see a picture of both. One with icing and made iI know, I couldn’t resist. I had to try and duplicate the picture. I had the same blue bowls from my mom and it was fun.
I can’t give credit to the newspaper that featured the Doctor Bird cake. It was not in the archives of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the other local paper at the time, The Globe-Democrat is no longer in business. What I do know is, Valerie Cracchiolo of Affton, MO., is pictured and the name was borrowed from the hummingbird symbol of Air Jamaica airlines. Photo by Lynn T.
I hope you enjoy making this cake. It’s super easy, no mixer needed and it can be made the day before an event. That’s why it’s always one of my church picnic cakes.
What’s your go-to cake? Add a comment below. Do you have a prized possession that just warms your heart? You can see a picture of my aunt’s Dutch oven @sockbox10 Join me on Instagram @ #sb10prizedpossession and post your picture.
Thanks for stopping by. Rose
- 3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 and ½ cup cooking oil (I use 1 cup)
- 1 8 oz can crushed pineapple with juice
- 1 and ½ teaspoons vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups diced bananas, should be ripe
- Measure the dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar, and then sift together.
- Dice the bananas and measure. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add bananas, oil, vanilla, eggs and crushed pineapple with the juice. The mixture is stirred to blend but is not beaten. It is then poured into a well greased nine-inch tube pan and baked at 350 degrees for about one hour and 20 minutes. Test with a toothpick- it should come out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack.
- It's delicious with nuts added and I dust with powdered sugar.
The combination of pineapples and bananas sounds perfect! My godmother makes a banana split cake and it’s one of my favorites. I might try this, well actually give to my husband to try. He’s the baker around these parts most days!
Paige- It’s super easy to make and the flavor really does get better every day. Thanks for stopping by! Rose