Sweet Cornbread Cake with Salted Honey Butter Frosting
This recipe was created by Ingrid Beer on her blog, the Cozy Apron.
makes 2 8" cakes | difficulty level: easy
Cake:
- 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup butter, room temp
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Salted Honey Butter Frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, room temp
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1-2 tbsp. milk
Preheat the oven to 350°, and line two 8” cake pans with parchment, and spray with cooking spray.
Add the cornmeal to a small saute pan, and place over medium heat; toast the cornmeal, stirring it constantly, for about 1 – 2 minutes, or just until it begins to become warmed with a nutty, corn aroma; remove from pan, and pour into a medium-size bowl to cool for about 5 minutes.
After the cornmeal has cooled slightly, add to it the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the salt, and whisk to blend everything well; set these dry ingredients aside for a moment.
To the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and cream that by itself until it becomes fluffy, about 1-2 minutes; next, add in the sugar, and continue creaming until the mixture becomes fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
Add in the eggs one at a time, allowing each to fully incorporate before adding in the next.
Add in the vanilla and the honey, and continue mixing until incorporated.
Next, alternate the dry ingredients with the buttermilk, beginning with about 1/3 of the dry ingredients (allow those to completely incorporate), and then half of the buttermilk (allow that to completely incorporate); then another 1/3 of the dry, and the rest of the buttermilk, finishing finally with the remainder of the dry ingredients; mix just until combined, taking care not to over-mix.
Pour the batter as evenly as possible between the two prepared cake pans, and bake for about 32 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; then, allow the cakes to rest in their pans for 10 minutes.
Turn the cakes out, and allow them to completely cool before frosting; then, frost only the tops, generously, with the Salted Honey Butter Frosting, and serve.
For the frosting: Add all of the ingredients into the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whip attachment, and whip on medium-high or high speed until they come together and become very fluffy and light, about 2-3 minutes (at first the mixture may seem a bit crumbly, but it will become fluffy as you whip)