New England Spider Cake

Submitted by Alan in SW Florida

"Don't worry: this is a breakfast semi-corn bread sans spiders - spider is the colloquial name for the cast-iron skillet it's baked in. It's worth buying a 12-inch cast-iron skillet if you don't already own one to make this breakfast treat for your overnight guests, your sweetheart, or your kids. It's a creamy corny meal in itself, with some juice and coffee or tea."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 4 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy cream

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the milk and vinegar in a bowl and set aside to sour. In another bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Whisk the eggs into the soured milk; stir into the dry ingredients and set batter aside.
3. Melt butter in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet and pour in the batter. Pour the cream into the center and slide the skillet into the oven. Bake until golden brown on top, about 45 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve warm. (It's perfect on its own, but be prepared that people are going to want to put something on the spider cake -- butter and honey, jam, or just butter.).
4. NOTE: You can use 2 cups of buttermilk instead of souring regular milk. And, if spider cake inspires you to buy a cast-iron skillet, you'll need to season it when it first comes out of the box (unless you buy a preseasoned one.).

Reviews

[Anjaleck]

I made this back at Christmas time and it was absolutely delicious! I followed the directions exactly. For those who don't know, you need to preheat your skillet. The batter must sizzle when you pour it in to create a crust on the bottom. If you don't do this the cream will settle to the bottom rather than staying in the middle. I saved this recipe because I knew I would be returning again and again. :)

 

[DrGaellon]

Incredibly rich, really yummy. It was supposed to develop a "custard-like" layer in the middle after pouring in the heavy cream, which didn't really happen - but still delicious.