I used to have a favorite cornbread recipe that my mom would make growing up. It combined part of a cake mix with part of a cornbread mix to create sweet cornbread muffins. The first time I made them for Trevor after we were married, I spent most of the day talking them up to him. I had something to go to that night before he came home from work, so I left some chili in a slow cooker and the cornbread muffins on the table for him to eat while I was gone.
When I got home that night, I asked him how he liked the cornbread muffins and his response was disappointing. He said he thought they were too sweet and just seemed a little too cake-like for his taste. As we talked and I got my own food we realized something. He forgot where I told him the cornbread was and I forgot to tell him that the muffin tin on the stovetop was full of cupcakes I made from the left over cake mix. So it turns out he had actually eaten cupcakes, and not cornbread muffins, with his chili. It was no surprise he wasn’t all that excited about them. All these years later, we still think about that little mix-up every time we have chili and cornbread.
I don’t use baking mixes as much these days, but this recipe for sweet skillet cornbread makes me not miss my old recipe at all. The crust gets crisp and golden in the skillet, while the center says soft and moist. The key to this cornbread is to not let it overcook. Pull it out as soon as a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Melt butter over medium heat in an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Remove from heat and stir in sugar. Add eggs and whisk until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into butter mixture. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until blended. The mixture may still have a few small lumps remaining.
- Place skillet in preheated oven. Bake for 25-35 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Leave a Reply