Jeff Misenti
Difficulty Level: easy
Cornbread is one of the best sides going, popular across the country, and perfect for home-cooked comfort food. But what about sweet cornbread?
Think of it like a dessert, but one that fits alongside morning coffee or as a sweet brunch treat, too. This recipe is based on a traditional, moist Mexican sweet cornbread known as pan de elote.
It’s not overly sweet, and it’s far from complicated, so you don’t need to worry about your kitchen being turned upside down with countless trays to clean after.
The main difference from regular cornbread is that we’re using condensed milk, which brings sweetness and richness. Plus, it helps keep the crumb tender as the bread cools.
If you’re curious about this bake, check out the ingredients and steps below.
Sweet Cornbread Ingredients
- 1 cup of fresh corn kernels (from about 2 ears of corn)
- 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk
- 3/4 cup of whole milk
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon of baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Sweet Cornbread Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Keep a rack in the center.
- Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter or non-stick spray. Parchment on the bottom helps to achieve a clean release.
- Blend the corn, condensed milk, whole milk, melted butter, and eggs until smooth. Give it a full minute so the corn really breaks down.
- In a large bowl, whisk sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed.
- Pour the blended mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until the batter looks smooth. Stop once it’s combined, over mixing can make it dense.
- Pour batter into the pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake for 50 minutes, until the top is golden and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out and cool completely before slicing.
- Serve as-is, or add whipped cream or a drizzle of honey if you want it to be more dessert-like.