Cornbread Cake

My hands down favorite type of cake to make is a simple, slightly rustic and flavorful cake. My Orange Olive Oil Cake, Lemon Ricotta Cake, Limoncello Cake, Orange Cake, and Almond Cake are just a few of my favorite simple dessert cakes on the blog.  If you’re a fan of simple cakes with tons of fresh flavor this cornmeal cake with salted honey frosting is for you. 

• Layers of flavor and textures. One thing I adore about this cornbread cake is the mix of complementary flavors and textures. The combination of cornmeal buttermilk creates a beautiful tender, moist and fluffy crumb with a hint of sweet cornmeal flavor. The rich salted honey cream cheese frosting adds another layer of creamy, tangy flavor, while the honey and salt add a complementary floral flavor. 
• Easy to make, bake and eat. This cake cornbread packs some seriously bakery worthy flavor, but is just as easy to make as any other single layer cake.

This cornbread cake recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients to make and you probably already have them in your pantry and fridge.  Here’s what you’ll need.

Cornbread Cake

• Dry Ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, oil, granulated sugar, eggs, honey and buttermilk.

Salted Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

Gather cream cheese, butter, honey, powdered sugar and milk. For topping gather flaky Maldon salt.

Here are my recommended ingredient substitutions to make this easy cornbread dessert cake if you need them.

• All purpose flour: To make this cornmeal dessert cake gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill. Make sure to weigh the flour (180 g) versus cup for cup. 
• Cornmeal: Feel free to use white or yellow cornmeal. I personally love using yellow cornmeal. Fine or medium grind work best for this cornbread dessert. Polenta or semolina also work well as a substitute for cornmeal.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Both are needed for this recipe. 
• Unsalted Butter: Feel free to use your preferred butter. A good plant based option is Miyokos Plant Butter. 
• Oil: Any neutral baking oil works well. For this recipe, I used avocado oil. Olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil all work well. 
• Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar can replace the sugar. Maple sugar would also work well to make this cake refined sugar free. 
• Eggs: This recipe has not been tested without eggs. Make sure they are room temperature.
• Honey: This is a classic ingredient for cornbread. Feel free to use your preferred honey. 
• Buttermilk: Feel free to replace this ingredient with the same amount of a DIY version of buttermilk. Combine1 tablespoon (15 ml) white vinegar or lemon juice with any milk to make 1 cup (240 ml). Mix well and allow the mixture to curdle for 10 - 15 minutes. Another option is to combine ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream with ¼ cup (60 ml) water until well combined.
• Salted Honey Cream Cheese Frosting: This is optional to top the cake.

Variations

• 9 inch (23 cm) square pan: Follow the recipe as written. Prepare a 9 inch (23 cm) square pan by lining the bottom and two sides with parchment paper. Bake the corn meal cake for 25 - 35 minutes. Top with mascarpone frosting and lemon curd as written in the original recipe. 
• Cornbread Cupcakes: Prepare the recipe as written. Bake the cupcakes for 18 - 22 minutes. Feel free to top the cornmeal cupcakes with the suggested honey frosting or with another frosting. My strawberry cream cheese frosting or brown butter cream cheese frosting would both be delicious.
• Mascarpone Frosting: For a more mellow frosting, top this cornmeal cake with mascarpone frosting which tastes just like whipped cream. Serve with strawberry glaze or a warm berry compote.

Learn how to make cornbread cake in a few easy steps.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C). Grease and line the bottom of a 9- inch (23 cm) springform or cake pan with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt together until well combined. 
2. In a large mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment, cream the butter and oil together until well combined. On low, cream in the sugar until combined. Increase the speed of the mixer to medium speed for 2 - 3 minutes. On low, cream in the the eggs and honey one at a time. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. On low, mix in the dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk in this order. Evenly pour the cornbread cake batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake the cake for 30 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. The crust will be golden brown. Cool the cake in the pan for 15  minutes. Gently release the side of the springform pan and allow the cake to cool completely to room temperature.
4. While the cake cools, make the salted honey cream cheese frosting. In a mixing bowl fitted with paddle attachment cream together the room butter with the room temperature cream cheese until creamy and well combined. Add the powdered sugar, honey, salt and 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of milk. Cream the ingredients together on low to combine. Then increase to medium speed and mix together until creamy and well combined. 
5. Once the cake is completely cooled, top the cornbread cake with the salted honey frosting. Drizzle the top of the frosting with honey and a bit of flaky salt and enjoy.

M’s Expert Tips

• Look for fine or medium grind cornmeal. Classic cornbread can be made using white or yellow cornmeal. Feel free to use what you are able to find. 
• Toast the cornmeal. For even more corn flavor, toast the cornmeal in a clean pan for 1 - 2 minutes over medium heat. Cool to room temperature before using in the recipe.
• Bring cold ingredients to room temperature. This allows the ingredients to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in soft, fluffy, moist and tender cake with cornmeal. 
• Don’t overmix the batter. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined. 
• Use the baking times as a guide. All ovens vary and baking times should be used as a guide. As a general rule, when the cake becomes very fragrant, it’s a good idea to start checking. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out with a few moist crumbs or clean. The top should be golden brown and the top of the cake should quickly bounce back when lightly pressed.  

Other Corn Recipes to Try

• Cornflake Cookies

If you try this Cornbread Cake recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! - M