“We bake cornbread multiple times a night,” Harrell says, “and we used heirloom red cornmeal (milled locally) and local buttermilk, so we hate to waste the leftover cornbread. This cake started out as a joke, but it’s really in line with what we do at Angeline, to be cost effective and sustainable.”
Harrell further asserts that this is inspired by an Italian olive oil cake and a Southern pound cake that at once reuses cornbread in the kitchen and still captures all that buttermilk and corn flavor, then transforms it into dessert, cooked skillet-style just like the original cornbread. The cast iron provides a nice crust which will hold up to fresh berries and a healthy dollop of whipped cream for serving, which you can do right from the pan, or cool slightly and flip out onto a plate for a more dramatic presentation.
Note: Store any leftover cornbread flour in an air-tight container in the freezer for an easy fish or chicken breading.
– By Stephanie Burt