This Fall inspired easy-to-make Pumpkin Maple Cornbread is not only moist and delicious, it can be made in about 30 minutes. A crisp golden crust, fluffy center, lots of pumpkin flavor, this maple syrup infused cornbread is perfect fall comfort food. A must for any Thanksgiving or Holiday dinner!
Pumpkin Maple Cornbread
Quick and easy recipes are my thing, and although I love to cook, I don’t always want to spend all day in the kitchen, trust me. The beauty of this Pumpkin Maple Cornbread is that it will come together in no time; easily mix dry ingredients in one bowl, mix wet ingredients in another, then mix both together, pour in a pan, and top with pepitas, done!
Pumpkin adds great flavor, color and moistness to any baked goods, resulting in an exceptionally elevated cornbread. Plain cornbread tends to be somewhat crumbly and dry, but this one is anything but. It’s so soft and moist that you won’t be coughing up any dry bits, or swigging water to get it down. I even have this for breakfast with a bit of butter, more maple syrup and a good cup of coffee. Trust me, it works.
It’s also the perfect side dish for many soups, pork dishes, turkey, chicken or or even chilis.
What You Need For Pumpkin Maple Cornbread
- Cornmeal – It’s not cornbread without cornmeal! This will give our bread color, flavor, and texture.
- Flour – Just regular all purpose works just fine.
- Brown Sugar – Packed brown sugar to add some sweetness and it also helps baked goods to be moist and soft.
- Baking Powder – Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda is a leavening agent in baked goods.
- Salt – A little salt is used to enhance flavor.
- Cream – Use heavy cream which has a % MF milk fat of at least 35%. I would recommend using minimum 30%MF for best results.
- Egg – I used a large egg.
- Maple Syrup – Maple syrup has a rich, sugar-like flavor and will help create moistness in the cornbread.
- Pumpkin – You’ll need a large can of pumpkin puree, make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling.
- Butter -You’ll need a bit of butter to grease your skillet.
- Pepitas – These are pumpkin seeds without the shell and provide a nice crunch.
How To Make Pumpkin Maple Cornbread
- Prep the oven and skillet: Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees and place a large cast iron skillet inside to heat it while you make the batter.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl whisk the heavy cream, egg and maple syrup, and canned pumpkin. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until lumps are gone, but don’t over mix.
- Reduce the oven temp: Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F degrees.
- Bake the cornbread: Coat the skillet with the 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the batter in the skillet and top with pepitas. Transfer the skillet back to the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm. Cool for 15 minutes before serving with butter and maple syrup.
FAQ’S
Do you all recall my quick bread post? It detailed how to make a great fluffy bread without yeast, substituting baking powder and baking soda in its place to create volume and airiness in our bread. Cornbread is the same, it’s a quick bread that uses cornmeal to achieve its color and maize-y flavor.
Cornbread is a light, crumbly bread that can be sweet or plain, it has a distinct, almost grainy texture and flavor that makes it perfect to be served as a side.
I like to slice up my cornbread and smother it with butter and honey but it’s a great side dish for your holiday table.
Some Great Tips
- Be sure to whisk out all the lumps before baking your cornbread – some recipes call for a lumpy batter but this is not one of them!
- While we don’t want a lumpy batter, we also don’t want to over mix – it’s all about finding that perfect balance before too much gluten develops.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree which is pure pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie filling which adds other ingredients.
Leftovers
Once the cornbread has cooled completely wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to 6 days.
Freezer
Wrap the cooled cornbread tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it out at room temperature for about an hour, unwrap it then transfer it to a baking sheet or loaf pan and bake for about 5 to 10 min at 350 F degrees or until heated through. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
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Pumpkin Maple Cornbread
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups cornmeal
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- ¼ cup pepitas pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Prep the oven and skillet: Preheat the oven to 425°F degrees and place a large cast iron skillet inside to heat it while you make the batter.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl whisk the heavy cream, egg and maple syrup, and canned pumpkin. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until lumps are gone, but don't over mix.
- Reduce the oven temp: Carefully remove the skillet from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F degrees.
- Bake the cornbread: Coat the skillet with the 1 tablespoon of butter. Pour the batter in the skillet and top with pepitas. Transfer the skillet back to the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until firm. Cool for 15 minutes before serving with butter and maple syrup.
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to whisk out all the lumps before baking your cornbread – some recipes call for a lumpy batter but this is not one of them!
- While we don’t want a lumpy batter, we also don’t want to over mix – it’s all about finding that perfect balance before too much gluten develops.
- Make sure to use pumpkin puree which is pure pumpkin, and not pumpkin pie filling which adds other ingredients.
- Once the cornbread has cooled completely wrap it in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It will stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also refrigerate it for up to 6 days.
- To freeze, wrap the cooled cornbread tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it out at room temperature for about an hour, unwrap it then transfer it to a baking sheet or loaf pan and bake for about 5 to 10 min at 350 F degrees or until heated through. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
Turned out so nummy and moist! I didn’t have heavy cream so I did half sour cream and half coffee cream.
So glad you liked it!
I made the pumpkin maple cornbread in a 9”x9” baking pan and I substituted half and half cream for the heavy cream, and the resulting cornbread was simply DELICIOUS!!! So yummy, moist and easy to prepare!
So glad you liked it!
Can this be made GF?
I’m not an expert on GF cooking/baking, but I suppose you could use GF flour.
Is it possible to use either an 8” or 9” square pan to bake the cornbread? If so, at which temperature should it be baked?
You can, same temperature, I just wouldn’t preheat the baking pan first but still grease it with butter.