Featured image: Frankie Fiore
Who said cornbread is only a side dish? Not Executive Chef Brittany Kelly! Her grandfather ate his with buttermilk poured over the top, and she’d finish her slice with a scoop of ice cream when no one was looking. At North of Bourbon in Louisville, Kentucky, that childhood tradition has a permanent spot on the dessert menu.
This Cornbread Sundae recipe, complete with ice cream and puffed sorghum berries, is the stuff Southern dessert dreams are made of.
Find another grandma-approved cornbread recipe here.
Cornbread Sundae with Brown Butter Ice Cream
Equipment
- Fine mesh strainter
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment optional
- Ice cream machine
Ingredients
Cornbread Sundae
- 1 piece cornbread reheated and crisped
- 1 scoop brown butter ice cream homemade below, or store-bought
- Honey for drizzling
- Puffed sorghum berries recipe below or popcorn, for topping
- Optional: Maldon sea salt flakes
Cornbread
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ¼ cups yellow cornmeal
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ lb. butter
- ¼ cup cane syrup if unavailable, honey or sorghum works well
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 6 eggs
Brown Butter Ice Cream
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups buttermilk
- 8 egg yolks
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- ½ lb. brown butter
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 tbsp vanilla extract
Puffed Sorghum Berries (or Popcorn)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- ¼ cup sorghum berries if unavailable, use regular popcorn
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Cornbread Sundae
- Reheat cornbread in the oven with a pat of butter until golden and crisp. (Cut to your liking if you didn’t bake it in a silicone mold.)
- Transfer cornbread to a plate.
- Add one scoop of brown butter ice cream.
- Pour honey over the ice cream and cornbread.
- Top with puffed sorghum berries.
- Add a pinch of Maldon sea salt flakes (optional)
Cornbread
- Combine and mix all dry ingredients (except sugar) in a bowl.
- In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or a bowl), whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, cane syrup, and buttermilk until well incorporated.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients; mix well.
- Pour 6 oz. of batter into a pan or silicone mold.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes (adjust for your oven).
- Cool completely. Best baked a day in advance.
Note: timing is based on a Rational iCombi Pro oven; home ovens may vary.
Brown Butter Ice Cream
- In a pot, combine heavy cream, salt, and vanilla; bring to a simmer.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until smooth.
- Slowly pour the simmering cream into the egg/sugar mixture while whisking.
- Return mixture to the pot and stir constantly (3–5 minutes) over medium-low heat until slightly thickened.
- Remove from heat, then whisk in buttermilk.
- Add brown butter to a pot and cook on low until milk solids begin to brown.
- Strain browned butter into the ice cream mixture and refrigerate overnight (up to three days) to infuse.
- Before serving, strain out butter solids, churn in an ice cream machine, then freeze.
Puffed Sorghum Berries
- In a covered pot, heat neutral oil until shimmering.
- Add a few sorghum berries to test if the oil is ready, then Add remaining sorghum berries and cover.
- Shake occasionally once popping begins.
- When popping slows, remove from heat and season with salt.
Find more Southern recipes here.
