This highly portable, crowd-pleasing cornbread is your new summertime sidekick, eager to please at all picnics, potlucks, and backyard BBQs. Filled with salty, creamy feta and sour cream for an extra-tender, moist crumb, it also makes a case for taking the classic dish in a more savory direction. If feta isn’t your vibe, feel free to swap the cheese for your favorite fresh or firm cheese—goat or even cheddar works. The tomatoes on top do more than just catch the eye; they burst in your mouth, adding a subtle sweetness and hint of acidity. But if you won’t be swayed from Team Sweet, don’t despair. Just add an extra 2 Tbsp. sugar to the batter.
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What you’ll need
Round Cake Pan
$18 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Pastry Brush
$6 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
¼
1⅓
½
2
2
2
1
2
1½
4
8
Preparation
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 400°. Brush a 9"-diameter cake pan with olive oil. Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round; brush parchment with more oil. Whisk 1⅓ cups (208 g) yellow cornmeal, ½ cup (63 g) all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk 2 large eggs, 1½ cups sour cream, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ cup water in a large bowl until homogeneous. Add dry ingredients; mix until almost combined. Add 4 oz. feta, crumbled, and gently fold to incorporate. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
Step 2
Toss 8 oz. mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved, and remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium bowl. Arrange, cut side up, on top of batter; sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake cornbread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Invert onto a large plate. Peel away parchment paper and turn right side up.
Do ahead: Cornbread can be baked 2 days ahead. Wrap tightly and chill.
Leave a Review
Reviews (23)
Back to TopI am confounded by the reviews saying this is dry/bland. I made it today and followed the recipe exactly accept for cheddar instead of feta. It was very moist and was a huge hit. My only guess is that folks are using a spectrum of types/grinds of cornmeal with varying results. I used a fine-ground yellow cornmeal. Will make again many times, I’m sure.
Jessamin
Raleigh
8/14/2022
This was plain awful. Even with the addition of the sugar and a drizzle of honey, it was dry and bland. I even underbaked it ( for 32 minutes) and it was still inedible. Tore this recipe right out of my notebook and into the garbage. For those of you who want a moist corn cake, this is NOT it. I'll stick with my spoon bread recipe.
Alisha F
Webster NY
8/8/2022
My wife and I made this recipe for a neighborhood party and it was a hit! Don’t understand the previous comments of this being a dry cornbread. This was one of the more moist cornbread recipes I’ve made of late, it was not sweet which is a plus for us and I think the most important ingredients we used were fresh feta and tomatoes from a local farmers market. The tomatoes added a great burst of flavor and made the cornbread stand out on a table filled with other options. We will definitely be making this again.
Joe from DC
Washington, DC
8/5/2022
Not a hit for us. I found the original recipe to be overly salty. Made again and didn't sprinkle salt on top and STILL thought it was too salty (and I love salt!). We used freshly grated cheddar instead of feta. Overall I thought this was a very bland cornbread that had overwhelming notes of salt and olive oil.
Melissa
Cincinnati, OH
7/25/2022
I made these as muffins, baked at 375 for 23 minutes, and they turned out great (made 14 muffins total). In response to some other comments about dryness, I used honey in lieu of white sugar for some extra moisture. I also added fresh garden thyme and oregano, plus 1 clove of minced garlic. The end result was great, and I loved the tomatoes. Note that I used really nice feta from a local cheesemonger, which probably also helps with moisture. Served with slow-cooked collards with pork neck.
Anonymous
Washington, DC
7/25/2022
My family and I loved this cornbread!! The tomatoes added little bursts of flavor. I misread the instructions regarding when to add the feta cheese but that didn't affect the cornbread at all. It went really well with Italian sausage burgers and is even better leftover the next day. I'll be making this again for the neighborhood block party in August.
Maureen W
Avon Lake, Ihio
7/18/2022
Made this last night and served it with ribs. I liked that they weren’t sweet and cake like. Maybe a touch more salt and pepper to bring the flavor up a notch. Or fresh herbs from the garden for next time but everyone loved it as is
ASN
NJ
7/17/2022