Aromatic vanilla cake, buttery cornbread, and candy honey have joined forces to convey you your new favourite dessert of the spring and summer season; this Cornbread Cake with Honey Buttercream Frosting! Let me inform you, it’s the dessert equal of Sunday porch sittin’ on a heat, sunny afternoon. It’s extra moist than your typical cornbread however a bit extra crumbly than your run-of-the-mill cake—and don’t get me began on the ethereal, gentle honey buttercream! Mmm mmm! Y’all come, pull up a chair, and benefit from the season with me earlier than the humidity and the skeeters come out in full drive.

All recipes are rigorously examined in our Nashville Take a look at Kitchen to make sure they’re straightforward, inexpensive, and scrumptious.
Straightforward Recipe for Cornbread Cake
I critically love this recipe as a result of it takes the acquainted taste of cornbread and provides it a candy dessert twist! You continue to get that cozy cornmeal taste, however the texture is softer, sweeter, and extra tender, thanks to a couple easy swaps. It’s wealthy like cake however has that unmistakable crumbly cornbread allure. And guess what? Egg costs are nonetheless bonkers, so I took them out fully! I promise you gained’t miss them as a result of the feel of this cornbread vanilla cake hybrid is absolute perfection. Prime it with my dreamy whipped honey buttercream, add a couple of sprinkles for those who’re feeling festive, and also you’ve obtained a dessert that’s as cheerful and summery as a yard picnic. 😉
The apple sauce on this recipe value me solely $0.34 for ¾ cup. As an alternative in baking, that is the equal of three eggs, which might have value me $1.23! Should you don’t have applesauce available, it’s best to go get some and think about using it in baking till the value of eggs goes down! Nonetheless, in case you have yard chickens or have a carton of eggs you’ve been rationing for a particular recipe, be at liberty to make use of 3 of them rather than the apple sauce.
Cornbread Cake with Honey Buttercream
This Cornbread Cake with Honey Buttercream Frosting is a candy twist on a Southern traditional! It is mushy, tender, fully eggless, and excellent for summer season!


Forestall your display screen from going darkish
Cornbread Cake Components
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (325g) ($0.22)
- 1 cup stoneground yellow cornmeal* ($0.27)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder ($0.12)
- ¼ tsp salt ($0.01)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature ( $0.99)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar ($0.51)
- ¾ cup apple sauce** ($0.39)
- ½ cup heavy cream ($0.84)
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract ($0.38)
Honey Buttercream Frosting Components
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature ($0.99)
- 2 cups powdered sugar ($0.55)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.25)
- 2 Tbsp honey ($0.30)
-
Collect elements and preheat oven to 350℉.
-
Mix flour, yellow cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a big mixing bowl. Whisk to mix.
-
In a separate medium bowl, cream collectively ½ cup of room temperature butter and granulated sugar.
-
To the identical bowl with the creamed butter and sugar, add the apple sauce, heavy cream, and ½ Tbsp vanilla extract. Combine on low till mixed. (A whisk or a hand mixer will do!)
-
Pour the moist combination into the dry combination and mix to create your batter. It will likely be thick!
-
Butter a 9” cake pan (I used a 9” springform cake pan) and pour the batter in, utilizing a spatula or spoon to evenly distribute the batter. Bake within the oven for 40-45 minutes, or till a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear. The colour of your cake will deepen and the middle will now not be jiggly.***
-
Whereas your cake is within the oven, make the honey buttercream frosting by combining ½ cup of unsalted room temperature butter and powdered sugar. Then add the 1 tsp vanilla extract and honey. Whip with a hand mixer till it’s gentle and fluffy! Put aside.
-
Let the cake cool fully earlier than eradicating the springform pan or trying to flip it or frost it. This might take some time, however it shouldn’t be heat in any respect earlier than frosting if you would like the honey buttercream to remain thick and creamy.
-
As soon as it’s cool, switch the cake to a cooling rack and flip it, so the flat facet is face up for simpler frosting.
-
Frost the cooled cake.
-
Beautify it nonetheless you want! I had some cute yellow sprinkles available that jogged my memory of corn kernels, so I went for it!
See how we calculate recipe prices right here.
**You may also use 3 eggs rather than the apple sauce.
***In my oven at residence, the bake time was 50 minutes. Within the oven on the Funds Bytes studio, it took 40 minutes. I like to recommend setting a timer for 40 minutes and checking it periodically since each oven’s completely different.
Serving: 1sliceEnergy: 490kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 4gFats: 20gSodium: 161mgFiber: 2g
Learn our full
vitamin disclaimer right here.
learn how to make Cornbread Cake step-by-step photographs


Collect your entire elements and preheat the oven to 350℉.


Mix the dry elements: Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup stoneground yellow cornmeal, 1 Tbsp baking powder, and ¼ tsp salt to a big mixing bowl and whisk to mix.


Mix the moist elements: In a special mixing bowl, add ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted room temperature butter and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar. Use a hand mixer or a whisk to cream the butter and sugar collectively.


Add ¾ cup apple sauce, ½ cup heavy cream, and ½ Tbsp vanilla extract to the creamed butter and sugar. Combine on low (or use a whisk!) till mixed.


Make the batter: Pour the moist elements into the dry elements and blend to create a thick batter. Watch out to not overmix at this level!


Bake: Grease a 9” cake pan (I used a 9” springform cake pan) and pour the batter in. I like to make use of a spoon or spatula to evenly distribute the batter within the cake pan. Bake the cake within the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. It’s prepared when a toothpick inserted within the heart comes out clear. The colour of the cake may even deepen, and the center gained’t be jiggly anymore.


Make the honey buttercream frosting: Whilst you wait on your cake to bake, you can also make your frosting. Add ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted room temperature butter and a pair of cups powdered sugar to a mixing bowl and blend to mix.


Now add 1 tsp vanilla extract and a pair of Tbsp honey.


Whip with a hand mixer till it’s gentle and fluffy! Set this apart for now.


Frost the cake: Let your cake cool fully earlier than eradicating the springform pan or trying to flip it and frost it. This might take some time, relying on how sizzling your kitchen is, however the cake shouldn’t be heat in any respect earlier than frosting if you would like the honey buttercream to remain thick and creamy.


When your cake is cooled, flip it onto a cooling rack (so the flat facet is going through up) to make frosting simpler.


Unfold the honey buttercream over the cooled cornbread cake, coating the highest and sides.


Beautify and serve: That is non-compulsory, however you may adorn your cake in any approach you want. I had some yellow sprinkles available (they jogged my memory of corn kernels!), so I sprinkled a couple of of them on high. Slice into 12 slices and serve!


- Keep away from overmixing the batter. When it comes time to combine your batter, go straightforward! Simply stir till every part’s mixed. The batter will be thick. Overmixing could make the cake dense as a substitute of tender, and we’re going for a mushy, crumbly texture right here!
- Each oven can run a bit of otherwise, so I like to recommend that you just begin checking your cake across the 40-minute mark. You’re searching for a golden high, no jiggle within the heart, and a toothpick that comes out clear. It’ll additionally begin to draw back from the edges of your cake pan. If it’s nonetheless a bit of gooey within the center, I’d give it a couple of extra minutes and test once more.
- Use room-temperature butter. This helps every part combine extra evenly and makes it simpler to cream the butter and sugar collectively. It additionally creates the right base for our dreamy honey buttercream!
- Let the cornbread cake cool earlier than frosting! If the cake remains to be heat, the buttercream will soften and slide proper off. Give it time to chill so your frosting stays thick and spreadable.
Can I Make this Recipe a Layer Cake?
Should you’re making this cake for an important day, you may double the recipe and make a layer cake if you wish to! It’s sturdy and would maintain up effectively as a layer cake. However to maintain prices low, I went with a single layer this time. This recipe additionally works in an 8×8 baking dish, however your cooking time will fluctuate.
Storage Directions
As this cornbread cake is made with a buttercream frosting, you may maintain it coated and retailer it at room temperature for a couple of days (until your kitchen is admittedly sizzling and humid—then the fridge is your good friend). For longer storage, refrigerate it (coated!) for a few week, although I’d advocate having fun with it inside 3–4 days for the most effective texture, because the fridge can dry out your do-it-yourself cake. Wish to freeze it? Chill it first to agency up the frosting, then wrap it effectively in plastic wrap and freeze for as much as 2-3 months. Thaw at room temp and dig in!