Cornbread · Sweet Honey
Sweet Honey Cornbread with Honey Butter
Soft, cakey, golden squares sweetened with sugar and honey and served with whipped honey butter. An easy one-bowl bake that kids love.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 23 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 9 squares
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- Cornbread
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal, fine or medium grind (140 g)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled (125 g)
Swaps for all-purpose flour
Instead of all-purpose flour
- Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour: The same amount, a blend that includes xanthan gum. A little grittier and more crumbly, browns faster and dries out sooner.
- Bread flour: The same amount. More gluten: chewier cookies and bread, tougher cakes.
- Whole wheat flour: Up to half of the flour. Nuttier, darker and denser.
All 4 swaps for all-purpose flour
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 67 g
Swaps for granulated sugar
Instead of sugar
- Less sugar: Up to ¼ less in cookies, muffins and quick breads. Less browning and spread, a drier, more cake-like texture, and bakes go stale sooner.
- Brown sugar: The same amount, packed. Moister and chewier, with a caramel flavor and darker color.
- Coconut sugar: The same amount. Darker and caramel-like, a little less sweet; cookies spread slightly less.
- 1 tbsp baking powder
Swaps for baking powder
Instead of baking powder
- Baking soda + cream of tartar: ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp cream of tartar for each 1 tsp baking powder. Rises the same if you don't let the batter sit.
- Baking soda + buttermilk or yogurt: ¼ tsp baking soda for each 1 tsp baking powder, and swap ½ cup of the recipe's milk for buttermilk or thinned yogurt. Good rise with a light tang.
- Self-rising flour: Use it for the flour and leave out the baking powder and salt. Each cup has about 1½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt built in, so it only fits recipes close to that ratio.
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
- 1 cup milk, 240 ml
Swaps for milk
Instead of milk
- Unsweetened soy milk: The same amount. The closest plant milk for baking: its protein helps things brown and set.
- Unsweetened oat milk: The same amount. Creamy and mild with a hint of sweetness.
- Unsweetened almond milk: The same amount. Thinner and less rich, so cakes are a little paler and drier.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 2 large eggs
Swaps for eggs
Instead of eggs
- Flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Binds well but gives less lift, so bakes are a little denser and flatter, with a mild nutty taste and brown flecks.
- Chia egg: 1 tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water for each egg. Works like a flax egg: good binding, little lift, slightly denser crumb.
- Unsweetened applesauce: ¼ cup for each egg. Moister and denser, with a soft, slightly gummy crumb if you swap more than one egg.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (113 g)
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 2 tbsp honey
Swaps for honey
Instead of honey
- Maple syrup: The same amount. Thinner, with a maple flavor; a little less sweet.
- Agave syrup: A little less (about ¾ the amount). Sweeter and very neutral; thinner.
- Light corn syrup or golden syrup: The same amount. Less sweet and neutral (golden syrup tastes buttery).
Don't give honey, even baked into food, to babies under 1 year old.
- Honey butter
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
- 2 tbsp honey
Swaps for honey
Instead of honey
- Maple syrup: The same amount. Thinner, with a maple flavor; a little less sweet.
- Agave syrup: A little less (about ¾ the amount). Sweeter and very neutral; thinner.
- Light corn syrup or golden syrup: The same amount. Less sweet and neutral (golden syrup tastes buttery).
Don't give honey, even baked into food, to babies under 1 year old.
- 1 pinch salt
Swaps for salt
Instead of salt
- Kosher salt: About twice as much Diamond Crystal, or about 1¼ times as much Morton. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
Weights from USDA FoodData Central cup weights. Counted things (eggs, cloves, cans) stay as counts, and salt stays in spoons: kosher and flaky salts weigh very differently by brand.
Different pan? Written for 8x8-inch square; rescale the amounts for an 8x8, 9x13, round, loaf or sheet pan.
Cooking for a crowd? Pans, timing and salt for 12 to 50.
Missing something? Tap Swaps next to an ingredient, or see all substitutions.
Steps
Kid helper. A child can do steps 2, 3, 4 and 5: no knife, no heat. Steps marked “Grown-up” use a knife or heat. Cooking with kids
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).400°FGrown-up: heatan 8x8-inch pan.
Grease (how to grease and flour a pan)
Grease and flour a pan Coat a pan with fat (and sometimes flour) so baked goods release cleanly. 1. Rub a thin layer of soft butter or shortening into every corner with a paper towel, or use baking spray.2. For cakes, add a spoonful of flour, tilt and tap the pan until it is coated.3. Turn the pan over and tap out the extra flour.4. For chocolate cakes, use cocoa instead of flour so there is no white film. Done when: Every surface, corners included, is lightly coated with no bare spots or thick clumps. How to grease and flour a baking pan: mistakes to avoid - In a large bowl,Kid stepthe cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
whisk (how to whisk)
Whisk Beat ingredients with a whisk to mix them smoothly or to add air. 1. Use a bowl big enough to whisk without splashing; set it on a damp towel to stop it spinning.2. Hold the whisk loosely and move it in quick circles or side to side, touching the bottom.3. For lumpy mixtures, add liquid a little at a time and whisk after each.4. For sauces on the stove, keep the whisk moving across the whole bottom of the pan. Done when: The mixture is even with no lumps or streaks of egg. How to whisk: mistakes to avoid - In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk the milk, eggs, melted butter and honey.Kid step
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir just until no dry streaks remain.Kid step
- Spread the batter in the pan.Kid step
- Bake until golden and400°F⏱ Bake: 22 minGrown-up: heatin the center comes out clean.
a toothpick (how to toothpick test)
Toothpick test A quick way to tell if a cake, quick bread or brownie is baked through. 1. Near the end of the baking time, open the oven and pull out the rack.2. Poke a toothpick or thin skewer into the center (the last place to set).3. Pull it straight out and look at it.4. If wet batter clings, bake a few minutes more and test again. Done when: Clean, or with a few moist crumbs for brownies and fudgy cakes. Wet, shiny batter means not yet. How to test a cake with a toothpick: mistakes to avoid - While it bakes, stir the soft butter, honey and salt together until fluffy.Grown-up: heat
- Cool the cornbread in the pan a few minutes, then cut into 9 squares and serve warm with the honey butter.⏱ Cool: 10 minGrown-up: knife, heat
Tap an underlined word for how to do it, or see all techniques.
Tips
- For 12 corn muffins, divide the batter into a lined muffin tin and bake 15 to 18 minutes.
- Let the melted butter cool a few minutes so it does not scramble the eggs.
Storage
Covered at room temperature 2 days or in the fridge up to 5. Keep the honey butter in the fridge.
Make ahead
Bake a day ahead, wrap well and rewarm at 300°F for 10 minutes.
How long leftovers keep, and freezing and reheating: leftovers and storage.
Quick answers
- Can I make it ahead?
Bake a day ahead, wrap well and rewarm at 300°F for 10 minutes.
- What can I swap?
- Instead of all-purpose flour: Gluten-free 1:1 baking flour.
- Instead of sugar: Brown sugar, the same amount, packed.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Answered from this recipe's own storage, make-ahead and swap notes.
Estimated nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 1,380 kJ
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- 40 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugars
- 17 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Saturated fat
- 10 g
- Sodium
- 310 mg
Whole recipe, 9 servings: about 3,010 calories.
Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 12 of 12 ingredients.
How we estimate
We add up USDA FoodData Central values for each measured ingredient as written and divide by the recipe's 9 servings, so changing the servings or units here doesn't change a serving. Brands, swaps, trimming and cooking all change the real numbers.
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Gear for this recipe
- See price on Amazon: 8x8 square baking pan (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Nesting mixing bowls (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Balloon whisk (opens Amazon)
- See price on Amazon: Silicone spatula (opens Amazon)
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Cleanup score 3/5 (some cleanup): 3 things to wash, 8x8 pan, bowl 1, bowl 2.
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