2012 Best Bite #2: Art’s Hummingbird cake, Table Fifty-Two

Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.

Why it’s a Best Bite: I was previously unfamiliar with this traditionally Southern cake, but over the past two years or so, it’s become my new favorite. I’ve eaten chef Art Smith’s decadent, three-layer version twice now, and I can’t get enough of the combination of banana-pineapple cake and cream cheese frosting. This comforting dessert also perfectly suits its cozy environs at the restaurant, a converted 19th-century carriage house.

The details: Table Fifty-Two, 52 W Elm St., Chicago.