This homemade Sweet Southern Cornbread is simple and made with real honey. Bake it up in a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Moist and sweet!
SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Since first publishing this recipe on the site in January 2011, I have received a lot of feedback. Basically, folks either love sweet cornbread or they don't. Depending on what part of the country you live in, you may even have a different name for it. I've heard it called Johnny Cake, Corn Cake and more. What I am saying is, folks have very strong opinions on the subject.
WHAT IS A JOHNNY CAKE?
Cornbread is a bit like iced tea. Folks either love it sweet or not sweet. There seems to be no in-between. Personally I am in the strong and sweet category. 🙂 Johnny Cake is a northern American term for a sweet corn cake. Also, this Sweet Southern Cornbread (or corn cake or Johnny cake) can be made in a baking dish or a cast iron skillet. It also goes so good with some CAJUN DIRTY RICE.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- honey
- egg
- butter
- milk
- water
- sugar
- yellow corn meal
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- salt
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN CORNBREAD:
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray 8x8 baking dish (or 8-inch round cast iron skillet) with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together all your wet ingredients: honey, egg, butter, milk and water.
In a separate bowl, combine all your dry ingredients: sugar, corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Give it a stir with a whisk or a fork to combine. While whisking, slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet until all combined. Batter may be a little lumpy, that’s okay.
Pour mixture into greased baking dish (or cast iron.)
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
My favorite way to eat it is with a big pat of butter and drizzled with honey!
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SWEET SOUTHERN CORNBREAD
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup yellow corn meal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
- Spray 8x8 baking dish (or 8-inch round cast iron skillet) with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all your wet ingredients: honey, egg, butter, milk and water.
- In a separate bowl, combine all your dry ingredients: sugar, corn meal, flour, baking powder and salt. Give it a gentle stir with a fork to combine.
- While whisking, slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet until all combined.
- Batter may be a little lumpy, that’s okay.
- Pour mixture into greased 8 x8 baking dish (or cast iron).
- Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Video
Notes
Heat up your cast iron skillet in the oven before adding the cornbread batter. Be sure to adjust the baking time accordingly. Measuring sticky honey tip:
Here’s a tip for getting the honey out of your measuring spoon. Spray the spoon with nonstick spray first. Then pour in honey, this will help keep the honey from sticking. For Mexican cornbread:
Add about half a small can of chopped green chiles and ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Also, if you like corn bits in your cornbread, just add a small can of corn, you could even use some creamed corn in here as well.
Nutrition
Originally published: January 2011
Recipe updated & republished: January 2019
This is a super easy recipe and came out light, moist, and delicious! I used a cast iron skillet and it all came together beautifully.
I have a 10in cast iron skillet. I want to know if i need to adjust baking time? I realize the bread will not be as thick. Thank you.
Delicious corn bread! It will be part of the family recipes. I did the recipe without modifying it. Thanks much!!
Could you make this in a muffin pan? Thank you!
Hi Ashley, you sure could. Just keep an eye on the baking time. I always just make it in a pan so you will probably cut the time down a little with muffins. 🙂
how much time do I adjust with pre heated cast iron skillet?
I've found my favorite cornbread recipe! Sweet and moist!
Love hearing this - thank you! I get a lot of comments that it is more of a cake than cornbread but always nice to hear when others love it!!
Born and raised in Fl, now living in Tenn. Cornbread is for sure a staple here in Tn. Mainly we butter it and smother it in pinto beans or any bean you like. Or as you do I love to butter it and pour honey over as a dessert. Either way, you can't go wrong. Another cornbread I make is 1C of cornmeal mix to 2C of boiling water. (You can up that to 2C cornmeal, 4 cups boiling water) depending on mouths to feed. Mix carefully as it's hot. You can let it cool a little to where you can handle it and make patties or drop it by the spoonfuls into a hot skillet of oil Heat skillet with enough oil to fry the cornmeal patties. Fry till golden on both sides. These are good with beans over them. They soak up the bean juice really good. And of course, both kinds of cornbread need onion chopped up on top. That's how Southerners eat cornbread. Oh and sweet tea!
I enjoy reading your recipes and think one day I will make some of them. However, sugar is considered a wet ingredient not a dry one. I have noticed several bloggers making that mistake. Just thought I would point that out so you can make the correction. I will continue enjoying your blog.
It’s a dry ingredient. It is only considered “wet” in certain techniques when you’re combining it with other actual wet ingredients as opposed to adding it to the dry ingredients
I used to be in the not sweet camp for cornbread. As far as ice tea it has to be sweet for me. But can I ask, is there a reason for both water and milk in this recipe? I usually see just milk or buttermilk. So anyway, I've been adding sugar to my cornbread lately as well as upping the ratio of flour to cornmeal. We all really like it that way! And I'm going to have to try your recipe.
Aileen, using the mix of the water and milk keeps this from being too dense while still maintaining that tenderness. If that makes sense. Ha!
It does! Thank you Brandie!
Hi lovely lady is corn meal critical in this recipe? What can I replace it with as we don’t have it here in South Africa
Hey Jessi! That is a really good question and I am honestly not sure to be honest. Are you able to find corn flour or polenta flour near you?