Sweet Cornbread with Tart Cherries
This Sweet Cornbread With Tart Cherries is a rustic sweet bread that is made with cornmeal, semolina, and all-purpose flour. Very easy to put together and delicious, the recipe makes two loaves of sweet bread. Perfect for potlucks or parties.
Servings: 32 servings
Calories: 142kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup corn meal
- 1 cup semolina
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 orange zest
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, cooled
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup fresh or frozen pitted sour cherries Optional: instead of sour cherries you can use regular cherries or dried fruit like cranberries or raisins.
- powdered sugar for dusting the bread
- Instead of powdered sugar for dusting drizzle honey diluted with lemon juice or just maple syrup.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Butter lightly two 9x5 loaves of bread pans.
- Mix cornmeal, semolina, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, lemon, and orange zest in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, cream together eggs, salt, sugar, and vanilla.
- Add milk, yogurt, melted butter, and oil to the eggs, mix well, then add it to the dry ingredients.
- Combine everything well.
- Split the mixture between the two pans.
- Sprinkle the sour cherries on top of the breads. You can push the fruits gently inside the batter.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove the breads from the pans and let cool on a rack.
- Dust the bread with powdered sugar, slice, and serve.
- Optional: Instead of powdered sugar, drizzle on the breads some honey diluted with lemon juice. Or drizzle maple syrup.
Notes
Tips and Secrets for a good sweet cornbread:
- Use high-quality cornmeal: The quality of the cornmeal plays a significant role in the taste and texture of the cornbread. Look for stone-ground cornmeal, which retains more of the corn's natural flavor and nutrients.
- Mix dry and wet ingredients separately: Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another before mixing them together. This helps ensure the even distribution of ingredients and prevents overmixing, which can result in tough cornbread.
- Do not overmix: Overmixing can lead to a dense and tough cornbread. Mix the ingredients just until combined. A few lumps are perfectly fine.
- Test for doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread; if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging to it, the cornbread is done. Overbaking can cause the bread to become dry and crumbly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 142kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 104IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
