Cornbread Snacking Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

And I made a baking playlist for you <3

I know you know me as a recipe developer, “content creator” and writer, but admittedly the curation of music playlists is my true passion. I have been known to create 6-hour long playlists for Halloween or housewarming parties that, no no no, are not meant to be shuffled. They are specifically timed with the predicted vibes of the party, going from chill tunes for the first guests, to the head-banging peak of the party, to music that only I like in order to get people to leave.

I’ve been wanting to make a baking playlist for a while, even though what listen to when I’m working always changes. My Spotify account has a playlist for every single month going back to, like, 2018 — so whatever the current rotation is, I’m probably listening to that. Or a *sigh* politics podcast.

With this baking playlist, I’m aiming for high-recognition songs, with a few offerings mixed in there that you might not know. It spans decades, but is mostly classics, songs that will soon be classics, and some covers I love. The vibes are hovering just slightly above relaxed with a general sunny disposition, but I tried to not veer totally into Nancy Meyers’ movie territory. But you can take a look for yourself — I’m going to embed it below. I hope this becomes your new baking soundtrack!

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📺 TV: What We Do In the Shadows
Something I like to do is discover shows four years after they premier. I have honestly just never spent much time on Hulu, but I had been meaning to check out this show. It’s about a group of (hilariously incompetent) vampires and their human servant who desperately wants to be made a vampire. And they live, where else … Staten Island? The mock-umentary series is like The Office meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I gobbled up the first three seasons in a few afternoons, and the premiere of Season 5 just aired last week, so I’m looking forward to catching up.

King Arthur Flour’s Lemon Bliss Cake
You may have seen my post about this on IG, but I have to shout out this cake again. I made it for a test I’m doing for a certain publication which will be published… soon? I don’t know. It’s so fluffy and tall, not overly-moist but resists over-baking. It was their recipe of the year in 2017, and I see why. It was so nice to bake someone else’s recipe for the first time in months, and I hope you try it!

Updates

The recipe for these Chocolate Caramel Macaroons is now up on easygayoven.com!

This Week’s Recipe

Like many “quick-breads,” there’s a fine line between cornbread … and cake — unless, of course, you’re in the camp that believes sugar has no place anywhere near the classic barbecue side. I have always been staunchly pro-sugar in cornbread thank you very much, and I think it should always be moist-crumbly, not dry-crumbly. I have had an idea gathering dust for months in my Notes app under “To Develop”: cornbread snacking cake with honey cream cheese frosting. Then, a few weeks ago, a friend asked me to make a “corn cake” for her partner’s birthday. When I inquired for more information, she wrote, “like a cake with corn as the main star....like a corn bread but cake.”

I have a lot of weird baking ideas that I’m not always sure people will connect with, but when this friend came to me with an idea I had already been toying with, I thought it must signify a broader market for this kind of dessert. And let’s be clear, it is dessert. This is not the kind of cornbread I would make for a side, but it’s not just a cake made with some cornmeal (which, if that’s your jam, you should check out my Lemon Ricotta Snacking Cake with Olive Oil).

My first job was at a small chain of restaurants in Ohio called City Barbecue. They served the best cornbread: baked in individual-serving rectangles with massive, domed tops, golden yellow insides, deep amber crust on the outside. Unbelievably moist. I wish there were a location near me now. Anyway, that was my goalpost, my rubric, during the development process. I wanted that texture and flavor, but also for it to lean slightly sweeter and cake-y. But also, not too sweet because I know we’re putting cream cheese frosting and honey on top.

That being said, the cream cheese frosting is simply cream cheese and a small (in perspective) amount of powdered sugar — no butter. And you can drizzle on as much or as little honey as you want. The sprinkle of flakey salt over everything really makes it, though.

Here’s a tip for making this cornbread snacking cake: start with room temperature ingredients. Seriously. There’s a significant amount of egg, fat, and liquid in this batter, which can make it prone to splitting, leading to a greasy final result. Flour is great at bringing cake batters together at the last second, emulsifying bits of butter and egg that may have split because of temperature differences. But since there’s not as much flour in this recipe (a little less than half the dry ingredients is cornmeal) you want to make sure you have a strong emulsion with the butter and eggs before adding the dry ingredients, buttermilk and oil. Ice-cold eggs or buttermilk can freeze up the butter in the mixture, so better to just start by placing the ingredients out on the counter about an hour or two before starting.

Cornbread Snacking Cake with Honey-Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes one 9-inch square cake, about 16 servings

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, medium-ground (115 grams)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (130 grams)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (110 grams)

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons honey (42 grams) (plus extra for drizzling on top)

• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature (242 grams)

• 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (90 grams)

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (168 grams)

• Pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt

• Flakey sea salt (optional)

Directions

1. Ensure all your ingredients have come to about room temperature.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Grease a 9x9-inch baking tin (light-colored aluminum is best) and line with a sheet of parchment paper that just covers the bottom of the pan and hangs over the sides slightly. This will help you remove the cake from the tin.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the beater attachment, or with a medium bowl and a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

5. Add one egg at a time, mixing in between each addition until incorporated, ensuring to scrape down the bowl a few times. Mix in the honey.

6. Dump in the dry ingredients and mix on medium-low speed until about 75% combined.  

7. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the buttermilk in a steady stream, then do the same with the oil. Turn the mixer off once the batter is smooth and all ingredients are totally incorporated.

8. Bake on the middle rack for 25 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown and springs back in the middle when pressed gently.

9. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then loosen the sides from the tin with a knife and lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely.

10. Once the cake has cooled, prepare the frosting. In a medium mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and salt until creamy and spreadable.

11. Spread swoops of the frosting onto the cake. Drizzle with about two tablespoons honey, smearing the honey into the frosting, if desired. Top with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt.