Sweet Cornbread

This sweet cornbread is soft, moist, and perfectly cake-like with honey and vanilla. A fluffy from-scratch recipe that pairs beautifully with chili and soup.

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cornbread recipes

Prep Time 9

Cook Time 45

Total Time 54

Servings slices

Calories 340kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs beaten
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Arrange the oven shelf to the lower third of the oven. Preheat to 350ºF (177ºC). Generously butter, (or use bacon grease) or spray with nonstick cooking spray an 8x8 baking pan; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cornmeal (1/2 cup), flour (1 1/2 cups), sugar (2/3 cup), baking powder (1 tablespoon), and salt (1/2 teaspoon).
Add the oil (1/3 cup), melted butter (3 tablespoons), honey (1/4 cup), eggs (2 large), milk (1 1/4 cups), and vanilla extract (1 1/2 teaspoon) to the cornmeal/flour mixture. Whisk until combined. There will still be lumps in the batter and that's just as it should be. Pour batter into prepared baking dish.
Bake in the preheated oven. Bake for about 42-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes

This is intentionally sweet. If you prefer the savory, crumbly skillet-style version, you’ll want my Southern Cornbread instead. This recipe is softer, fluffier, and cake-like.
Don’t overmix the batter. A few small lumps are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops gluten and makes cornbread dense instead of tender.
Use a metal pan if possible. Metal gives you those golden edges and a slightly crisp bottom. Glass works, but it won’t brown quite as deeply.
Let it cool slightly before slicing. The crumb finishes setting as it rests, which helps it slice cleanly instead of crumbling.

Nutrition