Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (2024)

You are probably familiar with classic cornbread; it is almost irresistible. I cannot seem to keep my hands off it at barbeques or during family dinners. But what would happen if you kept all the yumminess of cornbread, and made it more like a cake? Well, I can happily tell you, great things happen.

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Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (1)

Cornbread Recipe

This cornbread cake has the best of both worlds. It is fluffy, moist, a bit sweeter, and requires no special equipment or techniques to make.

The texture resembles that of a cake but has an extra layer of texture from the cornmeal.

Top this cake with cornmeal with butter, honey, and jam, or pair it with your favorite dish for a touch of sweetness like in Homemade Sweet Cornbread. If you want to try a different one, Jiffy Cornbread is a great one too!

Cornbread Cake Ingredients:

  • Cornmeal – one cup of cornmeal is what is going to create the classic cornbread texture in this recipe.
  • All-purpose flour – flour is what provides structure to this cake. Use unbleached flour if possible.
  • Granulated sugar – this cake is slightly sweeter than traditional cornbread, and the sugar also helps create a nice crust and browned top.
  • Baking powder – this helps the cornbread cake to rise and stay fluffy.
  • Salt – salt helps to balance out the sweetness of this cake. Use sea salt, if possible, rather than table salt.
  • Vegetable oil – the mixture of oil and butter in this recipe provides both fat and flavor.
  • Melted unsalted butter – I suggest using unsalted butter so you can control the salt content.
  • HoneyHoney and cornbread are a classic pair. It provides another layer of sweet flavor.
  • Eggs, beaten – beat room temperature eggs lightly prior to mixing them into the wet ingredients so they fully combine.
  • Milk – full-fat room-temperature milk works best in this recipe to provide extra flavor however skim milk or non-dairy milk will work.

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How To Make Cornbread Cake?

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until combined.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine vegetable oil, melted butter, honey, beaten eggs, and milk.
  4. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir till just combined. Do not overmix.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. The top should be starting to brown, and cracks should start to form.

Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (3)

How Do You Keep Cornbread Moist?

The milk melted butter, and vegetable oil all add moisture to this cornbread recipe.

Two ways you can ensure that yours stays super moist is by not overmixing or the batter and not overbaking your cornbread.

Serving warm cornbread with butter and honey will add moisture though, so no need to worry if you overbake yours!

Can You Freeze Cornbread Cake?

Yes, you can! Allow the cornbread cake to cool completely, cut it into squares or leave it whole in the pan and place it in a sealed airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

How To Serve Cornbread?

Cornbread is delicious on its own, but here are a few things you can pair it with.

Use it as a side dish for Roasted Cornish Hen or meatloaf, pair it with a homemade soup or chili, top it with butter and jam, or serve it alongside your favorite ice cream.

And here’s my cornbread muffin recipe.

Other cornbread recipes you might like:

  • Mexican Cornbread Casserole
  • Homemade Corn Dogs
  • Jiffy Cornbread Casserole

Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (4)

Super Moist Cornbread Recipe

This Cornbread Cake is fluffy, moist, and slightly sweet, and requires no special equipment or techniques to make.

5 from 51 votes

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Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 358kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2/3 cups vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 2 ½ cups milk

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

  • In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together until combined.

  • In a separate bowl, combine vegetable oil, melted butter, honey, beaten eggs, and milk.

  • Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and stir till just combined. Do not overmix.

  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. The top should be starting to brown, and cracks should start to form.

Nutrition

Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g

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Answering Your Burning Questions:

Is Cornbread Healthy To Eat?
Although cornbread is delicious, by no means would I consider it a healthy food. Cornmeal and flour are both high in carbohydrates which can spike blood sugar levels, in addition to the sugar in this recipe. Try your best to resist eating too many pieces!

Is Cornbread A Bread Or Cake?
Cornbread is actually a quick bread, meaning there is no yeast or kneading required, which is one of the reasons it is so easy to make. Quick bread uses baking powder as a leavening agent and tends to be slightly sweeter than traditional bread.

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What Happens If You Overmix Cornbread?

You want to be very careful not to overmix your batter.

Overmixing activates the gluten in the flour which can cause your cornbread to end up dry and crumble.

Make sure to mix until just combined, a few lumps in the batter is ok.

Why Is My Cornbread Spongy?

This is a less common issue when baking cornbread, however, it can still happen.

Overbaking your cornbread can result in a sponge-like texture as the moisture leaves and more air pockets are formed.

Watch yours closely to ensure it does not overbake.

Leftover Cornbread:

Leftover cornbread can be used in a variety of different ways.

Try serving it at breakfast with butter, honey, or jam, use it to create a cornbread stuffing, or crumble it over top of a casserole for an extra layer of crunch.

If you like this recipe, please leave a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and I truly appreciate your feedback! I will always do my best to respond to every comment ASAP. Thank you for following along! and happy cooking!

Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (6)

Sweet Cornbread Cake Recipe - ( Super Moist ) (2024)

FAQs

How do I make sure my cornbread is moist? ›

Melted butter and thick buttermilk keep this cornbread moist. After baking, I like to run a stick of butter over the top of the hot cornbread so that it soaks right in and stays even more moist and buttery.

What is the difference between cornbread and corn cake? ›

Corn cake is way different in color and taste because I use very little corn meal so it is a not as grainy as the bread. I use both shortening and butter, heavy cream, lots of corn kernels and I bake it in a pan covered with aluminum foil on a bain marie.

What is the difference between cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

She notes that Northern cornbread is sweeter, lighter, and more cake-like than Southern cornbread. Not surprisingly, it includes sugar (or molasses, in the earlier centuries), unlike traditional Southern cornbread.

How to make cornbread that doesn t crumble? ›

Cornmeal gives cornbread its classic color and flavor, but too much can make your bread crumbly. Try replacing a little bit of cornmeal with flour. The specific measurements will depend on how much cornmeal and flour is in your recipe, but you should try to have more flour than cornmeal in your batter.

What happens if you add an extra egg to cornbread mix? ›

The extra egg which is increased protein and binder makes the cornbread denser and heavier in texture.

What ingredients keep cornbread from being dry? ›

Add in some Flour

If you use straight cornmeal, it will tend to be dryer. Adding in flour will help to keep the cornbread moist. I like to use a 50/50 ratio of cornmeal to flour in my recipe. I feel this gives a moist and fluffier texture.

What's the difference between a Johnny cake and cornbread? ›

A Johnny cake recipe makes a thinner batter that is fried into rounds, essentially making cornmeal pancakes. Cornbread is made with baking soda or baking powder to give it a bread-like lift and texture and is oven-baked in a baking dish and cut into squares for serving.

Why does my homemade cake taste like cornbread? ›

When making any cake from scratch, take care to not over-mix, over-bake, or use too much flour, or the cake can end up tasting like cornbread. This applies to any cake that is made from scratch, not just this recipe!

What is the difference between Yankee cornbread and Southern cornbread? ›

The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.

Why isn t southern cornbread sweet? ›

The most common theory is a change in cornmeal itself. Until early in the 20th century, Southern cornmeal was made with sweeter white corn and it was water-ground. When industrial milling came along, that changed. The steel-roller mills used yellow corn that was harvested before it was ripe, so it had less sugar.

Who puts sugar in cornbread? ›

It truly depends on where you are. I find most(not all)southerners put no sugar or maybe a tablespoon at most. Midwesterners and others put much more and make a more cake-like sweet cornbread. I prefer no sugar and no wheat flour.

Should I put sugar in my cornbread? ›

Some cornbread has a little bit of sugar (less than a tablespoon) to help it brown. Some has nothing but cornmeal, hot water, and a pinch of salt. And some versions are quite sweet, almost as sweet as cake. It's a matter of regional style and personal taste.

Should you let cornbread batter rest before baking? ›

Let the batter sit before baking.

We found that if you leave the batter to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before baking it, the cornmeal has some extra time to absorb flavor from the other ingredients and the leaveners (baking powder and baking soda) get a head start.

Why is my cornbread moist but crumbly? ›

More flour makes it less crumbly. If you're using too high a proportion of corn meal, the bread doesn't have enough gluten to hold it together. Try using less cornmeal and more flour. Try a different flour.

How to make Jiffy cornbread that doesn t crumble? ›

  1. 1Put in an extra egg yolk. ...
  2. 2Cut back on fat or grease by one third. ...
  3. 3Replace white sugar with a moist sweetener. ...
  4. 4Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) more butter or oil. ...
  5. 5Replace milk or water with creamed corn. ...
  6. 6Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of sour cream.
Oct 29, 2021

Why is my homemade cornbread so dry? ›

You baked it longer than required and/or your Oven temperature is off. If, inspite of precautions, if the end result is dry, try any of the following suggestions. - adding an additional egg along with a tablespoon of honey. - replacing some of the liquid ingredients with creamed corn.

Is cornbread better with milk or water? ›

Can I substitute water for milk in cornbread mix? Yes, you can, but it may result in a less rich flavor. If you're out of milk, try using cream or half-and-half, evaporated or powdered milk, or even plain yogurt. If you have dietary restrictions, try soy milk or oat milk.

Is cornbread batter supposed to be thick or runny? ›

The batter should be thick, but still pourable. Add more milk or buttermilk if necessary. Remove the skillet from the oven and tilt the pan so the butter coats the bottom and sides of pan.

Is cornbread mix supposed to be thick or watery? ›

Cornbread batter is typically supposed to be thick, but still pourable. It should have a consistency similar to pancake batter. The thickness of the batter ensures that the cornbread holds its shape while baking and results in a moist and crumbly texture [1].

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