Use up a bumper crop of seasonal sweet potatoes with this moist, tender cornbread. Don’t forget the spiced sorghum butter—it takes it over the top.
Spicy Sweet Potato Cornbread
Makes 1 (10-inch) loaf
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed well and pricked all over with a fork
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 cups plain yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups whole buttermilk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- Spicy Sorghum Butter (recipe follows)
Spicy Sorghum Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons sorghum syrup, divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
Instructions
- Microwave sweet potatoes on high until tender, 8 to 10 minutes, turning potatoes halfway through cooking. Carefully halve potatoes lengthwise, and let cool, cut side up. Peel potatoes, and mash pulp until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 425°. Add oil to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place skillet in oven until hot, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and red pepper. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup mashed sweet potato, eggs, buttermilk, and melted butter until well combined. Stir potato mixture into cornmeal mixture until combined.
- Remove hot skillet from oven. Carefully spread batter into skillet.
- Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. Serve hot with Spicy Sorghum Butter.
Spicy Sorghum Butter
- In a small bowl, stir together butter, 1 tablespoon syrup, salt, and red pepper until smooth and well combined. Lightly swirl remaining 1 tablespoon syrup into butter mixture.