How to make Homemade Sweet Cornbread – Northern Cornbread

Last Updated on October 6, 2020 by Chef Mireille

Sweet and Moist Northern Cornbread is so versatile and it just as good as a sweet snack or with savory meals. Here I have paired it with a Golden Beet Raita for a delicious fusion sweet & savory snack.

So many countries have versions of cornbread and it is one of my favorite things in the world. It’s due to my cornmeal obsession.

What is the difference between Northern and Southern Cornbread?

Even here in America, depending what part of the country you are in, cornbread is two very different things. In the southern United States, cornbread is more savory than fused. It is traditionally made with bacon lard and infused with herbs.

Southern people really have an issue with Northern style cornbread as they wonder in amazement – Since when is cornbread supposed to be sweet?

Since it’s made in the North!

In the the northern United States, especially in the Northeast and some of the Mid-Atlantic States from Maine to Pennsylvania, we prefer our cornbread sweet. In fact, our cornbread is more cake than quick bread. Although it is a sweet cornbread, it is still most often enjoyed with savory foods like soups, stews and barbecue foods.

It is also sometimes just enjoyed as a snack with soft butter!

This soft and savory combination is so delicious, so I went fusion in this pairing by making a Golden Beet Raita to go with it.

If you would like to know more about the many varieties of gluten free cornmeal that there are and how to utilize them all in your kitchen, check out this post here to learn all about Cornmeal, Polenta, Grits & more.

What is Raita?

Raita is an Indian yogurt based condiment. If you ever eat out at Indian restaurants, it is usually served with any flatbread you may order. The basic version is just yogurt, cucumber and a few spices. However, if can be made with many varieties of vegetables, fruits, or nuts.

Raita is a quick, easy way to utilize vegetables and go well with lots of things; not just Indian food.  I am thinking of tossing this raita with some pasta to see how it tastes.  Combining the flavors of this with American cornbread is a great fusion snack.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

So now let’s see what you will need to make this awesome combination.

Ingredients

Cornbread Ingredients

• cornmeal 
• whole wheat flour 
• all purpose flour 
• baking powder 
• egg 
• milk 
• 2/3 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup oil 

Raita Ingredients

• golden beets
• orange zest
• yogurt 
• curry leaves 
• green chillies
• cumin seed
• fennel seed 
• urad dal 
• cilantro 
• salt

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How to make Sweet Cornbread

• Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
• In another bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until just combined.
• Bake in a greased cast iron skillet of baking pan.

How to make Golden Beet Raita

• Boil Beets.
• Make tadka with urad dal, spices and curry leaves.
• Combine beets with tadka and yogurt in a blender.
• Process until smooth.

Golden Beet Raita

Enjoy Cornbread with Raita!

Both of these are both sweet and savory, so they complement each other well.  The cornbread is sweet, but with a kick as it is going down because of the spice in the masala mix. The raita is spicy, but with the natural sweetness that comes from the golden beets.

This is a perfect snack to enjoy between meals!

Don’t forget to check out some of my other varieties!

Cornbread Recipes

• Southern Style Cornbread
• Zambian Mealie Bread
• Sopa Paraguaya
• Haitian Cornbread
• African Mealie Cakes (gluten free)

Don’t forget to visit the RECIPE INDEX with over 1000 recipes from around the world including lots of Vegetarian Recipes and Gluten Free Recipes!