I love the simplicity of cornbread. It’s mostly basic ingredients and a basic preparation, and yet it can be a side to a chili on a cold winter night or a bright dessert on a hot summer day. We all have a trusted family recipe and there are tons of recipes online, but I really like the way this one turned out. I usually prefer my cornbread to be extra crunchy, so I avoid adding corn at all costs, but this time I wanted to try something new and find a nice balance between moist and crunchy. And that’s exactly what I got. This cornbread loaf is slightly crunchy but also creamy, and it has an extra ingredient that makes it mildly nutty: toasted almond flour. Of course I had to make it complicated, didn’t I.
Aside from the toasted almond flour (we’ll get into that in a second), everything else id pretty straightforward as it should be: dry ingredients in a bowl, wet ingredients in a blender. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients, stir to combine and pop it in the oven. There’s really no secrets or tips here. The recipe calls for only half a cup of corn kernels, because I didn’t want it to be too creamy, I wanted to keep that nice crunchy texture. I used fresh corn and one ear will yield approximately 1/2 cup of kernels. If you don’t have fresh, you can definitely use canned, and in that case I apologize for the leftovers!
Toasted Almond Flour
Toasting almond flour is extremely simple and it adds a nice subtle nutty taste to the batter. It starts out slowly but then happens all at once, so keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the almond flour in an even layer. Shake the pan occasionally but as soon as you see the edges starting to brown stir frequently because the browning happens very quickly. Cook until it gets to a nice golden brown then remove from the heat immediately and add to a medium bowl. That’ll stop the cooking and avoid burning.
Add all the dry ingredients to the same bowl and whisk to combine. Blend the corn and buttermilk until smooth, then add the rest of the wet ingredients. Pour the wet over the dry ones and mmix just until combined. Mine took an hour to bake and get to a nice golden brown color.
Macerated Strawberries and Whipped Cream
Maceration just means the strawberries sit in sugar that has properties that draw out their water, creating a lovely syrupy juice. This process concentrates their sweetness and soften their texture, forming a jammy consistency that is ideal for spooning over yogurt or cake.
Whisk the heavy cream to soft peaks or desired consistency. I do it by hand because you have more control over the results and it only takes a couple minutes – and fewer dirty dishes. Soft peaks are so soft they barely hold when you turn your whisk upside down and quickly melt back into themselves.
Cornbread Loaf
Ingredients
-
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup almond flour, toasted
- 4 tbsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup corn kernels
- 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- honey, for drizzling
- flaky sea salt
For the Strawberries
- 1 lb fresh strawberries
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.
- Toast the almond flour: heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the almond flour to a skillet, spread it in an even layer. This happens slowly and then all at once, so keep an eye on the pan, shaking it from time to time. Once it starts browning, stir continuously until it gets to a nice golden brown, you don’t want it to burn. Remove from heat and transfer to a different pan immediately in order to stop the cooking and avoid burning. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cornmeal and toasted almond flour. Add sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
- Add the corn and buttermilk to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add the melted butter and eggs, and blend until incorporated.
- Pour wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined.
- Pour the batter into prepared pan, spreading into an even layer.
- Bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Add a drizzle of honey and brush it on to create a shiny and sticky glaze. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Meanwhile, prepare the strawberries: wash and hull strawberries, and cut into quarters. Place in a medium-sized bowl and add sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until combined and let the strawberries sit at room temperature until ready to serve and they have released their juices.
- Make the whipped cream: add the heavy cream and 1 tsp vanilla to a medium bowl. Whisk to soft peaks.
- Serve cornbread topped with whipped cream and macerated strawberries.
If you make this Cornbread Loaf please be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and I love responding to every comment. And don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram. I’d love to see your photos!
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