This homemade Sweet Cornbread is simple and made with real honey. Bake it up in a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Moist and sweet! A DELICIOUSLY SWEET HOMEMADE CORNBREAD RECIPE Since first publishing this recipe on the site in January 2011, I have learned that people feel very strongly about cornbread. Basically, folks seem to either love sweet cornbread or they don’t. I love it all! In fact, this particular recipe remains the most popular recipe out of all the cornbread recipes I have here on the site. It really is SO good! Please note: nowhere in this post do I call this a traditional southern cornbread and I know someone is just dying to comment that this corn cake not cornbread – that is fine but please refrain from commenting how this isn’t southern cornbread – no one is calling it that. However, if you are looking for a more traditional Southern Cornbread with no additional sweetness, I have a recipe for that too! I even have recipes for Bacon Cornbread and Mexican Cornbread! There is something here for everyone! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: What is a Johnny Cake? Some Northern folks might refer to sweet cornbread as Johnny Cake or Sweet Corn Cake. It’s all the same thing but folks just call it different things depending on where they’re from. Can I use honey instead of sugar? In this recipe, I use both to give it a good depth of flavor along with moistness. But you could certainly use all honey instead of sugar. What should I serve with this cornbread recipe? This particular recipe can be served a couple of different ways. You can serve it with traditional meals like like CrockPot Chili, Crock Pot BBQ Chicken, or Fried Chicken. But because it is sweet (but not super sweet) you can also be serve as a dessert with toppings like honey, sweet cinnamon butter or sweetened strawberries and whipped cream! I don’t like sweet cornbread, I want savory, how do I do that? I have a recipe for a more traditional, savory Southern Cornbread made in a cast iron skillet that is perfect to serve with some Appalachian Soup Beans (my favorite!) Can I use a different pan or dish? This recipe can be made in a similar size cast iron, pie pan or square pan. How do I store leftovers? Sweet cornbread will last for 2-3 days at room temperature if stored in an airtight container. It can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for up to 3 months. INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE) honey– measuring honey can be difficult sometimes. 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. egg – if you have time (of not, that is okay) allow the egg to come to room temperature, it helps it to incorporate into the batter easier. butter – you could also use margarine but I think real butter is best. milk – you want a milk with some fat in it so I would use 2% or higher milk fat. water sugar – I haven’t tried it but I don’t see why you couldn’t make this with a sugar substitute. yellow corn meal – see my ingredient image below, you don’t want self-rising cornmeal. We are already adding baking powder. However, if you can only find self-rising cornmeal then just leave out the additional baking powder in this recipe. all-purpose flour – do not pack the flour into your measuring cup. This will ensure that you end up with way too much flour. It is best not to measure from the flour bag. Dump it into a separate bowl and stir it up. Dip your measuring cup into the flour and shake off any excess then take the flat side of a butterknife and gently scoop off any excess. baking powder salt HOW TO MAKE SWEET CORNBREAD: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch (square or round) baking dish with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, egg, melted salted butter, milk and water until fully combined.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. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Note: depending on the size of baking dish you use will depend on how long this takes to cook. My favorite way to eat it is with a big pat of butter and drizzled with honey! CRAVING MORE RECIPES? Cornbread Muffins Cornbread Salad Bacon Cornbread Mexican Cornbread Southern Cornbread Cornbread Waffles with Chili & Fixins Southern Fried Chicken Chicken Fried Chicken Homemade Hush Puppies Red Beans and Rice Originally published: January 2011Updated photos & republished: July 2024 Print Sweet Cornbread This homemade Sweet Cornbread is simple and made with real honey. Bake it up in a cast iron skillet or baking pan. Moist and sweet! Course Side DishCuisine American Prep Time 10 minutes minutesCook Time 30 minutes minutesTotal Time 40 minutes minutes Servings 6 Calories 265kcal Author Brandie @ The Country Cook Ingredients2 Tablespoons honey1 large egg4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted½ cup milk½ cup water½ cup sugar1 cup yellow corn meal1 cup all-purpose flour½ Tablespoon baking powder½ teaspoon salt InstructionsPreheat oven to 350F degrees. Spray an 8-inch or 9-inch (square or round) baking dish with nonstick spray.In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 Tablespoons honey, 1 large egg, 4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted, ½ cup milk and ½ cup water until fully combined. In a separate bowl, combine ½ cup sugar 1 cup yellow corn meal, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ Tablespoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt. Give it a gentle stir with a fork to combine. While whisking, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet until all combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until set in the middle and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Note: depending on the size of baking dish you use will depend on how long this takes to cook. Video Notes Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions. NutritionCalories: 265kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 18g