Sidesgiving
I think we all know Thanksgiving is truly all about the sides. The turkey is what it is, but the sides are where you can really get fun and creative. I love a good dinner roll but I may love cornbread just a teensy bit more. So I’m sharing my Sweet Potato Cornbread, and you should definitely bookmark it for the holidays because it’s a good one. Fluffy and moist cornbread flavored with mashed sweet potatoes and served with a cinnamon maple butter.
Roasting Sweet Potatoes
We’ll start with making our sweet potato mash. You can definitely use store-bought sweet potato puree, but I prefer to roast and mash my own sweet potatoes because I think they yield a better flavor. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and place it on a baking tray. Bake it in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes until fork tender all the way through. I even like to continue roasting my sweet potato for a bit longer even after it’s tender because the sugars caramelize further. Set it aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Mash the sweet potato until smooth then measure out 1 cup, and set it aside.
Baked and Buttered
Moving on to the cornbread, reduce the oven temperature to 350℉. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet into the oven while it preheats. Add the all purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt into a bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly combined. In a separate bowl, add in the 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, granulated sugar, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk until combined. Pour in the vegetable oil and buttermilk then mix. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until the ingredients are combined into a batter.
Remove the hot cast iron pan from the oven. Place the remaining tablespoon of butter into the cast iron. Swirl the butter around as it melts to coat the pan. Pour the cornbread batter into the cast iron and smooth out the top. Bake it in the oven for 30-33 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted into the center it should come out clean. While the cornbread bakes, make the cinnamon maple butter. Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined. Allow the cornbread to cool until warm then serve with the cinnamon maple butter. If desired, top with an additional drizzle of maple syrup and flakey salt.
Tried and True
I love this Sweet Potato Cornbread recipe because it is truly so simple to make. Compared to making dough from scratch or layering biscuits, this recipe is so much easier but tastes just as amazing. It’s not too sweet, which allows the natural, earthy sweetness of the sweet potatoes to shine. The edges get slightly crispy from the hot cast iron pan but the center is soft, moist, and fluffy. This recipe was adapted from my Honey Butter Cornbread recipe, which I love, because it honestly has the best texture I’ve come across in regards to cornbread. So I knew this new recipe would be a good one. Try out this Sweet Potato Cornbread this Thanksgiving and let me know what you think!
Sweet Potato Cornbread
Ingredients
For the Cornbread:
- 1 Large Sweet Potato
- 1¾ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¾ cup Cornmeal
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- ¼ tsp Baking Soda
- ¼ tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
- ¼ cup Vegetable Oil
- ¾ cup Buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter at room temperature
For the Cinnamon Maple Butter:
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- ⅛ tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- ⅛ tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
For the Cornbread:
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Wrap the sweet potato in foil and place it on a baking tray. Bake it in the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes until fork tender all the way through. Set it aside until cool enough to handle. Scoop out the flesh and discard the skin. Mash the sweet potato until smooth then measure out 1 cup. Set aside.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350℉. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet into the oven while it preheats.
- Add the all purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and kosher salt into a bowl. Whisk until the ingredients are evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, add in the 1 cup of mashed sweet potato, granulated sugar, eggs, and melted butter. Whisk until combined. Pour in the vegetable oil and buttermilk then mix. Add the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Whisk until the ingredients are combined into a batter.
- Remove the hot cast iron pan from the oven. Place the remaining tablespoon of butter into the cast iron. Swirl the butter around as it melts to coat the pan. Pour the cornbread batter into the cast iron and smooth out the top.
- Bake it in the oven for 30-33 minutes. When a toothpick is inserted into the center it should come out clean. Allow it to cool until warm then serve with the cinnamon maple butter. If desired, top with an additional drizzle of maple syrup and flakey salt. Enjoy!
For the Cinnamon Maple Butter:
- While the cornbread bakes, make the cinnamon maple butter. Add all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix until well combined.
