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My Sweet Potato Cornbread taste like fall with the warm spices, and the cinnamon honey butter takes it to new heights! It's perfect for any occasion year-round.
Here are a few more cornbread recipes and something to serve to sop it up with: Moist Cornbread, Sweet Cornbread, Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Southern Cornbread Dressing, Curried Turkey Necks, Smothered Turkey Wings, Southern Pot Roast, and Red Beans and Rice.
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Growing up in the South, I feel like knowing how to identify a good cornbread is instilled in us, like knowing our A, B, and C's. I can remember eating greens and cornbread as early as three years old.
Of course, homemade was and still is the best way, but over the years, my mom started using Jiffy cornbread mix for convenience, and that sweet cornbread did its job. I wanted to get back to making cornbread from scratch.
That's how this recipe came about. After I had what I deemed a perfect sweet buttery classic cornbread recipe, I wanted a new challenge. Although I'm sure, I'm not the first person to make it. I've never seen it served at soul food restaurants, picnics, family reunions, Sunday dinners, or holiday spreads.
Plus, I have a thing for adding sweet potatoes to my recipes. So, I figured mixing roasted sweet potatoes in my cornbread batter would yield glorious results.
This recipe proves that I was right! This sweet potato cornbread tastes like love, with a tender, crumb-like texture and a sweet flavor. The sweet potatoes helped keep it moist, and the cinnamon honey butter was the perfect Chef's kiss.
Key Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for this incredible sweet potato cornbread recipe.
Fresh Sweet Potatoes
You'll need one medium fresh sweet potato to guarantee the best flavor. You'll need about a cup of mashed sweet potato. You can cook the sweet potato in two ways. Either way, make sure you pierce the potato before cooking. 1)Bake in a 400°F oven for 1 hour, until tender. 2) Cook in the microwave for 8 minutes on each side.
Raw Cane Sugar
Raw cane sugar has a granulated sugar texture but a light brown sugar molasses flavor. I love the combination of sweet potatoes and raw cane sugar. It makes this cornbread sweet but doesn't give you a toothache.
Ground cinnamon
Saigon cinnamon is one of the best ground cinnamons you can buy on the market.
Eggs
The eggs will give the cornbread a nice texture and help hold everything together. Room-temperature eggs mix better than cold ones.
Buttermilk
I don't know any other way to make cornbread except with buttermilk, you know? Sure, you can use milk, Greek yogurt, or sour cream instead, but I believe buttermilk separates the pros from the rookies.
Unsalted Butter
We'll use some in the cornbread batter and for the homemade cinnamon honey butter. My secret is to add butter to the hot sweet potatoes, so I don't need to use melted butter.
Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
I like to blend unbleached all-purpose flour and cornmeal to give the cornbread the perfect texture. You'll also need baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cornmeal
Usually, I'll use corn flour (masa flour), but I kept it old-fashioned with yellow cornmeal. If you can only find white cornmeal, use it.
How To Make Sweet Potato Cornbread Recipe
This sweet potato cornbread is a tasty crowd-pleaser! Once you bake your sweet potatoes, keep the oven on for this easy cornbread recipe. It's straightforward and super delicious.
Sweet Potato Cornbread:
Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C. In a large bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of light brown sugar until smooth.
Mix the hot sweet potato mash, butter, and remaining sugar in a medium bowl with a hand mixer for 30 seconds.
Stir in eggs and buttermilk. Pour the sweet potato mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until smooth; do not overmix. Pour cornbread batter into the greased 9 x 13 baking dish or 12-inch cast iron, and bake for 45 minutes until golden brown.
Cornbread is done once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool slightly before serving.
Serve warm sweet potato cornbread with cinnamon honey butter and my smothered turkey necks.
This is definitely a new holiday staple on our table (no matter where we are????) - Leslie
How To Store Sweet Potato Cornbread
Sweet potato cornbread is best 2 days after it's baked but will be fresh for seven days if kept in an airtight container.
Freeze leftover cornbread in a freezer-safe container for three months.
Reheat cornbread in a 350°F oven for 5-8 minutes until hot.
Cinnamon honey butter will remain fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for 30 days. Wrap in wax paper and store in the freezer storage bag. Butter will be good for 6 months.
Pro Recipe Substitutions, Tips & Tricks
Here are a few notes from making this absolutely delicious sweet potato cornbread recipe.
- You can use corn flour as a swap for corn meal. The corn flavor is superior.
- You can get away without creaming the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes. This technique helps the cornbread be light in texture.
- You always want a thick sweet potato cornbread batter. Thick batter equals tender and fluffy texture.
- Go ahead and use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour is the best choice.
- Feel free to use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose flour. If you do, omit the baking soda and salt since they have already been added.
- You can use any milk you have at home instead of buttermilk.
- Here's a great baked sweet potato recipe. If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, warm them up before using.
- You can use canned sweet potatoes or sweet potato puree, but know you'll be sacrificing flavor.
- You can cook the sweet potato in two ways. Either way, make sure you pierce the potato before cooking. 1)Bake in a 400°F oven for 1 hour, until tender. 2) Cook in the microwave for 8 minutes on each side.
- If you do not have time to bake the sweet potato, peel, chop, and boil it until tender. Boiled sweet potatoes don't have the same subtle sweetness as roasted ones, but they'll get the job done.
- You want to add the butter and sugar to the hot mashed sweet potato because the heat will slightly caramelize the sugar, creating a fantastic flavor. It'll also be easier to mix in the batter.
- Feel free to use light, dark brown, or granulated sugar instead of raw cane sugar.
- Sweet potato cornbread pairs well with maple syrup, honey, or sugar cane syrup.
- If you need a larger serving size, double the recipe, but you must bake it in two skillets or baking pans.
- If you need a smaller serving, cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan or a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- If, for any reason, you see the cornbread is a little under-baked, slice cornbread into pieces in those areas and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
FAQ
Here are the top questions readers have about making sweet potato cornbread.
What is the secret to moist cornbread?
The key to having incredibly moist cornbread is the correct amount of eggs, butter, buttermilk, and baking temperature and time. All of these will enhance the moisture of cornbread. Anytime you overbake anything, you risk drying it out.
Why is Southern cornbread not sweet?
In the South, we enjoy sweet cornbread. In fact, it's frowned upon to serve cornbread that isn't sweet. However, the level of sweetness is a personal preference. Some enjoy just a hint of sweetness, and others like it similar to cake.
What's the difference between Southern cornbread and regular cornbread?
I don't know if there is one. All my friends and family up north have Southern roots. The sweet, buttery cake-like texture comes from the South. Now, you may find things like bacon or bacon drippings used in Southern cornbread more frequently than you would up North.
Do you have to poke sweet potatoes before baking?
Poking holes in sweet potatoes releases moisture, causing the sweet potatoes to steam and release their natural sweetness. This also helps reduce the cooking time and removes the need to wrap them in aluminum foil.
Should you oil sweet potatoes before baking?
You don't have to oil sweet potatoes before baking unless you're going to eat the skin and want it crispy. Just give 'em a good wash under cold water, scrub 'em, and poke 'em, then rub a little oil (about 1 teaspoon for a medium potato) on 'em.
How long does it take to bake a sweet potato at 350?
It will take about 1 hour and 30 minutes to bake a medium sweet potato at 350°F/ 176°C. The size of the potato will determine how much time needs to be adjusted.
More Soul Food Recipes
If you love soul food as much as I do, you'll love these recipes too!
- Vanilla Wafers Banana Pudding
- Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Southern Black-eyed Peas
- Peach Cobbler
- Southern Hoe Cakes
- Southern Baked Mac n Cheese
- Crispy Southern Fried Chicken
- Southern Fried Fish
- Corn Pudding
Before You Begin
Here are my steps for getting organized before I start anything.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425°F before pulling the ingredients out.
Step 2: Measure everything out into individual bowls.
Step 3: Start following the recipe and get ready for the best sweet potato cornbread you've ever had.
Making sweet potato cornbread with cinnamon honey butter is a delightful fusion of flavors and texture! It will take your palette on an incredible culinary journey. I hope you enjoy this twist on a soul food classic. Remember to let me know in the comment section when you try it!
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📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Ingredients
Sweet Potato Cornbread:
- 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter sliced into tablespoons, plus 1 tablespoon room-tempertaure
- 1 ½ cups cornmeal
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups raw cane sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup mashed sweet potato hot
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 cups buttermilk
Cinnamon Honey Butter:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Sweet Potato Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/ 218°C. Take 1 tablespoon of butter and rub in a cast iron skillet or 9 x 13 baking pan. In a bowl mix cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 cup sugar together.
- In a bowl mix the sweet potato, butter, and remaining sugar with a hand mixer for 30 seconds. Stir in eggs and buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture, pour sweet potato mix in, and stir together until smooth. Pour batter into the greased pan, rest for 10 minutes and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- While cornbread is in the oven make cinnamon honey butter: Add butter, honey, cinnamon and salt in a food processor blitz on high for 30 seconds, until butter is smooth and cinnamon is evenly blended. You can also mix with a hand mixer for 1 minute. Serve with hot cornbread.
Video
Notes
- You can use as little as ½ cup - 1 cup of sugar to reduce the sweetness and calories.
- You can use corn flour as a swap for corn meal. The corn flavor is superior.
- You can get away without creaming the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes. This technique helps the cornbread be light in texture.
- You always want a thick sweet potato cornbread batter. Thick batter equals tender and fluffy texture.
- Go ahead and use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour is the best choice.
- Feel free to use self-rising flour instead of all-purpose flour. If you do, omit the baking soda and salt since they have already been added.
- You can use any milk you have at home instead of buttermilk.
- Here's a great baked sweet potato recipe. If you have leftover mashed sweet potatoes, warm them up before using.
- You can cook the sweet potato in two ways. Either way, make sure you pierce the potato before cooking. 1)Bake in a 400°F oven for 1 hour, until tender. 2) Cook in the microwave for 8 minutes on each side.
- You can use canned sweet potatoes or sweet potato puree, but know you'll be sacrificing flavor.
- If you do not have time to bake the sweet potato, peel, chop, and boil it until tender. Boiled sweet potatoes don't have the same subtle sweetness as roasted ones, but they'll get the job done.
- You want to add the butter and sugar to the hot mashed sweet potato because the heat will slightly caramelize the sugar, creating a fantastic flavor. It'll also be easier to mix in the batter.
- Feel free to use light, dark brown, or granulated sugar instead of raw cane sugar.
- Sweet potato cornbread pairs well with maple syrup, honey, or sugar cane syrup.
- If you need a larger serving size, double the recipe, but you must bake it in two skillets or baking pans.
- If you need a smaller serving, cut the recipe in half and bake in an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square pan or a 10-inch cast iron skillet.
- If, for any reason, you see the cornbread is a little under-baked, slice cornbread into pieces in those areas and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Tara says
Looks Delicious!
Leslie says
This is delicious! I ended up taking it out of my oven at 35minutes because I was afraid it would burn, but wholly moley! This is definitely a new holiday staple on our table (no matter where we are????).
Kenneth says
Love it!