Cornbread is a spongy, mouth-watering side dish that can be paired with just about any meal or backyard barbecue.
Cornbread is extremely versatile. Depending on the recipe, it can be sweet or savory. The basic cornbread recipe is made with cornmeal, eggs, flour, and oil.
It can be dense, crumbly, or fluffy and spongy, depending on the recipe you’re making. This can make you wonder, is cornbread cake or bread?
In this post, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about cornbread, along with an amazing cornbread recipe you must try. Let’s dive in.
Is Cornbread Cake?
Simply put, cornbread is a type of quick bread, meaning it rises quickly in the oven and making it doesn’t take long. While it’s not made with yeast, it’s considered bread, not a type of cake.
Nonetheless, there are some sweet cornbread recipes that are spongy and fluffy that they can be considered a type of cake.
How Is Cornbread Made?
Typically, the main ingredients of cornbread are all-purpose flour, eggs, oil, baking powder, and the most essential ingredient, cornmeal.
However, cornbread is very versatile. The recipes can be adjusted according to your taste. This means you can make sweet or savory cornbread.
Cornbread can be baked in a skillet, a pan, or a Dutch oven, depending on the recipe you’re making. Skillet cornbread is known by many names that you might’ve heard before, such as dodgers, spoon bread, and johnny cake.
You’re probably craving some tasty cornbread now. Look no further! The following cornbread recipe is simple yet extremely delicious.
Simple Cornbread Recipe
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this tasty cornbread recipe:
- 1 ½ cups cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ cup sunflower oil or canola oil
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 large beaten eggs
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk or yogurt
- ¾ tsp salt
After getting all the ingredients you need, the following steps will guide you through the process:
- Grab a dry bowl and mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar in it. Grab another bowl and mix the oil, the beaten eggs, and the buttermilk in it.
- Next, pour the second mix into the first one slowly and start mixing. You’ll need to keep mixing until the batter looks homogeneous and well-mixed.
- Set your oven to 350 and let it preheat while you prepare your baking pan. An 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan is suitable for this recipe.
- You can line your baking pan with parchment paper or spray its bottom and sides with cooking spray.
- Put your pan in the oven and let it bake for around 30 minutes.
A good trick to make sure your cornbread is completely baked is to poke the cornbread with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, that means your cornbread is ready. If the toothpick has dough on it, though, it means it needs more time in the oven.
One thing worth mentioning is that if you’re using a small pan, it probably will need significantly less time in the oven than a big pan.
How to Make a Sweet Cornbread Cake?
While cornbread isn’t cake, with this recipe, you’ll be able to make a sweet, thick, and spongy cornbread that tastes just like cake!
This recipe is easy, and anyone can do it. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 1 ⅓ cup white sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
The following steps will guide you through the recipe:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grab a clean, dry bowl and put the dry components in it. That includes all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cornmeal. Mix them together thoroughly.
- In another clean bowl, mix the whole milk, the vanilla extract, the oil, and half the amount of the butter. Mix and whisk them together.
- Pour the components of the second bowl into the first one and mix them thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into a round cake pan and put it in the oven for 30 minutes.
- While the cornbread bakes, grab the rest of the butter and honey and mix them together on a plate.
- After you take the cornbread out of the oven, spread the honey and butter mixture on the cornbread surface.
- You should let the cake cool down before cutting it.
Finally, you can enjoy a sweet, delicious cornbread cake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you still have a question in mind? Here are some frequently asked questions regarding our topic for today.
Is cornbread a dessert?
Cornbread isn’t a dessert. However, there are many sweet cornbread recipes you can try.
Is cornbread a side dish?
Cornbread is a versatile American dish that can be sweet or savory. It’s a perfect side dish that goes well with any type of meal.
What do you eat cornbread with?
You can eat cornbread with anything. It can be paired with anything from a simple cup of milk or a spoonful of butter to barbecues and all sorts of main course meals.
Here are some delicious cornbread combos that you must try:
- Sweet cornbread with honey
- Cheese and jalapeño cornbread
- Hot dog with cornbread
- Cornbread and jam
Final Thoughts
Cornbread is a versatile American dish that goes well with any meal. It can either be dense and crumbly or fluffy and light.
Is cornbread cake? The answer is no. Cornbread is a type of quick bread. However, there are sweet cornbread recipes that taste as good as a cake.
You should definitely try the cornbread recipe shared in this post. It’s super easy to make. The ingredients are probably lying around your house! What are you waiting for?
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.