Description
Velvety, sweet, and just a little spiced — this Easy Sweet Potato Cornbread blends mashed sweet potato into a classic cornbread batter for an extra-moist loaf with a buttery, honeyed glaze. It’s quick to toss together, bakes up golden, and makes a perfect cozy side for fall dinners or weekend brunch.
Ingredients
Ingredients — Cornbread
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- Optional: a few drops orange food coloring (for deeper color)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (optional)
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 large egg yolk (room temperature)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature)
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup cooked, cooled, and mashed sweet potato
- ½ cup granulated (white) sugar
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (canola, vegetable, or similar)
Ingredients — Glaze
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease an 8-inch baking dish lightly with butter.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, white sugar, and brown sugar until evenly combined. Set aside.
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In a separate bowl, combine the mashed sweet potato, eggs and yolk, melted butter, oil, vanilla, and buttermilk. If you want extra color, stir in a few drops of orange food coloring. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and uniform.
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Pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and fold gently with a spatula just until everything comes together. Do not overmix — stop when there are no large streaks of flour.
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Transfer the batter to the prepared dish and smooth the surface. Bake on the middle rack for 20 minutes.
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After 20 minutes, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil to prevent the top from getting too dark. Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the loaf springs back slightly to the touch.
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While the cornbread is still hot, whisk the glaze ingredients together (melted butter, brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt) until glossy. Brush the warm glaze over the top of the cornbread a few times so it soaks in. You may not need all of it.
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Let the cornbread rest until just warm, then slice and serve.
Notes
- Let the sweet potato cool before mixing into the batter so it doesn’t scramble the eggs.
- Mix gently — overworking makes the crumb tough.
- Tent with foil if the top browns too fast.
- Use canned sweet potato puree in a pinch, but drain any excess liquid first.