Cast Iron Sweet Cornbread
Cast Iron Sweet Cornbread is sweet enough to be dessert but not too sweet that it can’t be served with your meal made in your favorite cast iron skillet.
This post has been updated from its original August 28, 2017 publication with new photography, content, and recipe card with updated instructions.
Is cornbread supposed to be sweet?
The short answer is no. But this isn’t just cornbread; this is sweet cornbread; so yes, sugar is needed.
The question of if sugar should be used in cornbread is a deep and divisive argument. Cornbread, while made all over the country, is considered a southern staple. Many feel sugar has no place in cornbread, by doing so, that makes it cake.
I really don’t want to participate in the argument; I just want to eat the stuff. But the possible reason why the inclusion of sugar has occurred was illuminated in this article on Serious Eats. Using wheat flour is part of the same debate, but we’ll leave that one alone too.
Is cast iron sweet cornbread a southern thing?
We’re back to the debate of sugar or no sugar (or flour/no flour.) I have read many articles that say sweet equals northern. Being fascinated by the debate, I went down an internet rabbit hole of research and wow, that rabbit hole has left me more confused but a lot hungrier.
As I mentioned, I’m not going to weigh in on the debate, that’s above my pay grade, but it’s clear that sweet cornbread is equally southern as it is northern. In fact, it simply boils down to how ones own family made it.
What kind of cornmeal is used in cornbread?
Well, that depends on what type of cornbread you’re making. Or more specifically what kind of texture your after.
For this cast iron sweet cornbread, I was after a slightly more cake-like texture. I used medium yellow degerminated cornmeal.
Is polenta and cornmeal the same?
The short answer is yes. It’s a matter of semantics.
Cornmeal refers to any and all dried and ground corn. White and yellow are the most common types of cornmeal, but there is also blue cornmeal, it’s just harder to find.
Cornmeal is also classified as whole-grain or degerminated. Degerminated means that the bran and oily germ has been remove during processing. Simply stated, it means the actual nutritious part of the grain has been removed.
The grinds are labeled by fine, medium, and course. Polenta and grits are usually course ground. The average cornbread is made with medium or a blend of medium-fine ground.
Can you use polenta instead of cornmeal for sweet cornbread?
Yes you can, it will have a coarser texture. It will be less cake-like.
How to make cast iron sweet cornbread?
To get started, you’ll need the following:
- medium-ground cornmeal
- all-purpose flour
- sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- eggs
- butter
- milk
- vegetable oil
Take 1 tablespoon of softened butter and generously coat the skillet.
Add all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix with a fork to combine.
Gently beat two eggs then stir in the milk, oil, and melted butter.
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a fork until the batter is made and not clumpy. It won’t necessarily be ultra smooth either.
Pour the cornbread batter into the prepared cast iron skillet and bake. Now the torture begins…the wait for it to be done.
What to serve with Cast Iron Sweet Cornbread?
Here are some great savory recipes that will compliment this sweeter cornbread.
- Mexican Chicken Sweet Potato Skillet
- Dutch Oven Pork Roast
- Dutch Oven White Chicken Chili
- Smoked Skillet Pulled Pork
- Dutch Oven Pumpkin Chili
- Smoked Pork Ribs
- Dutch Oven Beef Brisket
Cast Iron Sweet Cornbread
Equipment
- 8 inch cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 5 tbsp butter; divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Use 1 TABLESPOON of softened butter to grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet (or other baking pan.)
- Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl, mix well with a fork; set aside.
- Lightly beat two eggs in another bowl.
- Stir in the milk, oil and 1/4 cup MELTED butter into the eggs until combined.
- Stir in the liquid ingredients to dry ingredients with a fork; until blended.
- Pour the batter into the prepared skillet.
- Bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick comes out clean.
- Cool for 5 minutes before removing from skillet
Nutrition
I would enjoy making this outside in a Dutch Oven over coals. Any recommendations?
Absolutely, you can definitely do this in a Dutch oven over coals. Coals are the tricky part, but you can use similar instructions to the outdoor instructions of this recipe: https://www.dutchovendaddy.com/dutch-oven-lasagna/
Very delicious just the right sweet and moist
So glad you enjoyed! Thank you for sharing.
I have made cornbread in the past that uses creamed corn and it felt very heavy. I love how light this recipe was. I was stunned that it fit in an 8 inch skillet, but it was perfect size.
My whole family loved this and it went great with some homemade chili.
So happy to hear they loved it, and yes, we love it with chili too.