Hummingbird Cake

Southerners’ passion for big, rich, complex cakes is perhaps best exemplified by this spicy masterpiece, which has won blue ribbons at county fairs all over the South and is served at any occasion, from birthday parties to weddings to bereavements. Of course nobody knows for sure how the cake got its name, but the most logical explanation so far comes from my own mother: “You see, the cake is sweet as molasses, and everybody knows how hummingbirds love red sugar water and the sweet nectar o