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Layered Cornbread Cake With Honey Butter Frosting

Layered cornbread cake with honey butter frosting: golden, tender cornmeal cake baked in three round layers and stacked with a light, fluffy honey butter frosting. Finished with a honey drizzle and flaky sea salt for a sweet-salty contrast.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cornbread cake layers
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • 0.75 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 0.5 cup buttermilk
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 0.25 cup honey
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
For honey butter frosting
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 3.5 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 1 Honey and flaky sea salt for finishing

Equipment

  • 3 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Bake the cornbread cake layers
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease three 8-inch round pans.
  2. Whisk all-purpose flour, yellow cornmeal, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
  3. Whisk eggs, whole milk, buttermilk, unsalted butter, melted, honey, and vanilla in a separate bowl.
  4. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined, then divide the batter evenly between the three pans.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, then cool completely.
Make and apply the honey butter frosting
  1. Beat softened unsalted butter with honey until smooth, then add powdered sugar and continue beating until very light and fluffy.
  2. Mix in heavy cream, vanilla, and salt until the frosting is spreadable.
  3. Frost generously between all layers and over the outside of the cooled cake.
  4. Drizzle with honey and sprinkle flaky sea salt over the top to finish.

Notes

For the cleanest layers, cool the cakes completely before frosting so the honey butter frosting stays fluffy instead of melting. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; the frosted cake does freeze up to 2 months (freeze without the final honey/sea salt topping and add after thawing). For a dairy-light option, substitute lactose-free milk and lactose-free buttermilk and use lactose-free butter in the cake and frosting.