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

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.

Can you add sugar to cornbread mix? ›

I love to bake from scratch, but I have often used packaged cornbread mix, adding a little extra something to the ingredients and making the finished product taste more homemade. My favorite thing to add is sugar—a hot topic for another conversation!

What's the difference between cornbread and Johnny Cakes? ›

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.

How do you keep cornbread from being dry and crumbly? ›

Adding about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of extra butter or vegetable oil can increase the moistness of your cornbread. You can do this even if your recipe doesn't call for butter or oil. Replace milk or water with creamed corn. If your recipe calls for milk or water, try replacing it with creamed corn.

Should cornbread batter sit before baking? ›

Note: We recommend allowing cornbread batter to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before baking, so if you prefer, you can delay heating the oven until you make the batter. 2Melt the butter, and then set aside to cool slightly.

Can I use 3 eggs instead of 4 in a cake? ›

The generally rule is 1 egg per 1 & 1/4 cup of flour for muffins and 2 eggs per 1 & 1/4 cups of flour for cakes. Generally speaking, when you go from 4 to 3 eggs, you are not making that much of a difference, and most recipes are built around large eggs, and most people buy extra large eggs.

What happens if I use 2 eggs instead of 3 in cake mix? ›

Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery. The explanation for this lies in the fact that eggs are made up of protein. As Fine Cooking explains, when the protein in eggs combines with the protein in flour, they produce the overall structure of the baked good.

What does an extra egg do to a cake? ›

When eggs are balanced with liquids and fats like water, oil, and butter, they ensure that your cake doesn't turn into a soupy mess, but adding too many of them adds too much structure, leaving you with a cake that's rubbery and dense.

Which cornbread mix is not sweet? ›

For people who prefer cornbread without much sugar: Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix.

Why is Southern cornbread not 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.

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

In contrast to the dryer, less-sweet nature of Southern cornbread, Northern cornbread is much more cakey and sweet. Indeed, colonial Americans made their cornbread with molasses to sweeten it. Also, Northern cornbread sometimes uses milk rather than buttermilk.

What is Mormon Johnnycake? ›

A molasses cornbread topped with agave. Barbara Robinson. PASTRIES - Cakes.

What is cornbread and milk called? ›

In some corners, people call this Crumble In, or simply Bread and Milk.

What is Johnnycake called today? ›

Johnnycake, also known as journey cake, johnny bread, hoecake, shawnee cake or spider cornbread, is a cornmeal flatbread, a type of batter bread.

How can I dry out my cornbread? ›

I got you! Bake in cubes at 350 for 15 minutes, toss and bake again for 10-15 minutes. And you have stuffing bread.

What consistency should cornbread be before baking? ›

The batter should be thick, but still pourable. Add more milk or buttermilk if necessary.

Should I use milk or water for cornbread? ›

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.

How do I make sure my cornbread is done? ›

Push a toothpick into the center of the cornbread. If it comes out clean, then it is cooked properly. If there are some moist crumbs on the toothpick, then it is fine too. You can also check the internal temperature of the cornbread, which should be between 195°F to 200°F.

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