This cheesy, tender-crumbed cornbread turns a side dish staple into a total showstopper. For many, cornbread is a tradition of itself, so when developing this recipe, I wanted to make something that felt true to its roots—but reimagined with bolder flavors. I start with a layer of corn and caramel, which helps emphasize the sweetness of the cornbread. Adding cheddar cheese to the batter balances the topping with a salty, savory richness, and the hot honey butter (literally the icing on top) lifts both. Don’t be afraid of flipping the bread—I promise you can do it, and the payoff of seeing the sweet layer of caramelly corn on top is totally worth it.
What you’ll need
9" Round Cake Pan
$20 $17 At Amazon
French Wire Whisk
$18 At Amazon
Box Grater
$16 At Amazon
Offset Spatula
$15 At Amazon
Glass Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Small Saucepan
$155 At Amazon
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour 30 minutes (plus cooling)
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
Batter
½
1
1
1
2
1
½
2
¾
½
8
½
Honey Butter and Assembly
½
3
2
1
½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Batter
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Lightly butter a 9"-diameter cake pan and dust with flour; tap out excess. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round. Add one 15.25-oz. can whole kernel corn, rinsed, patted dry, to prepared pan and spread out in an even layer to edges of pan.
Step 2
Whisk 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (141 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. (180 g) medium-grind yellow cornmeal, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. baking powder, and ½ tsp. baking soda in a large bowl to combine. Whisk 2 large eggs, ¾ cup (packed) plus 2 Tbsp. (175 g) light brown sugar, ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, and ½ cup sour cream in a medium bowl until homogeneous. Add 8 oz. sharp yellow cheddar, coarsely grated, and stir to combine. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture; stir with a wooden spoon until combined. Add ½ cup whole milk and stir until incorporated and no dry streaks remain. Set batter aside.
Honey Butter and Assembly
Step 3
Vigorously whisk ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature, 3 Tbsp. hot sauce, 2 Tbsp. honey, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a small bowl until smooth.
Step 4
Bring ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar and 2 Tbsp. water to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is thickened and beginning to turn deep amber in color, 5–7 minutes. Gently stir with a heatproof rubber spatula, remove from heat, and immediately pour caramel evenly over corn kernels in pan. Scrape reserved batter over; smooth surface if needed.
Step 5
Bake cornbread until golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40–45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cornbread cool in pan.
Step 6
Run an offset spatula along edges of cornbread to loosen. Set a platter upside down over pan and flip over to release cornbread. Carefully remove pan and peel away parchment paper. Serve cornbread warm or room temperature, topped with hot honey butter.