Easy Honey Caramelized Upside Down Tomato Cornbread

Updated August 2024 :: Coming to you straight from my second Southern Cookbook, this Tomato cornbread recipe is absolutely beautiful. Pretty on the inside, pretty on the outside – this one’s tough to beat. It’s such a wonderful way to use up those end-of-summer tomatoes, and it’s also a nice thing to set out on a table when you’re entertaining, because it’s got a little of that “wow factor,” you know? This tomato cornbread is easy to make and SO much better than any days-old thing you could pick up at a grocery store. Read on for a few simple tips and tricks!

Also, if you’re looking for a few other fantastic ways to use up your tomato hauls, I’ve got plenty of ideas for you here on MKL. I have this crazy-good take on a Caprese salad, where we actually tuck juicy tomatoes and gooey mozzarella into a cozy cobbler – complete with basil butter biscuits. WHAT?! I know. Also, there’s this simple five-ingredient Salmon with Chorizo, Olives, and Tomatoes that is as easy and fast as dinner gets. Lastly, I had a reader share last week that she loves to use her homegrown tomatoes in my Tuscan Garlic Butter Chicken recipe, which is such a great idea. Just swap them in for the canned ones, and you’re off to the races.

If you like the looks of this Honey Caramelized Upside Down Tomato Cornbread, you might want to check out:

Healthier Chocolate Hazelnut Zucchini Bread

Vanilla Chai Swirl Pull Apart Bread

Whipped Cornbread Cookies

Cream Cheese Stuffed Carrot Bread

Honey Cream Dinner Rolls

Why We Love This Honey Caramelized Upside Down Tomato Cornbread

There are some recipes that manage to capture the best of a season with such effortless beauty, it practically takes your breath away. With the simplest of ingredients as their guide, recipes of this nature truly let the rhythms of the harvest take center stage, paying little to no mind to pretense and fussiness.

This simple yet stunning Honey Caramelized Tomato Cornbread is just such a recipe. Tomato corn bread, at its core, is such a simple, humble thing. A collection of time-honored baking pantry staples combine to create something that has graced many an American table – from sun-up to sundown – for centuries. I love that. There’s history steeped right into this recipe.

But. Because I’m me and I cannot help myself, I’ve given my go-to homemade cornbread recipe a real swift kick in the pants with this Honey Caramelized number we’ve got going on here today.

By simply adding a lovely vermilion crown of honey-buttered tomatoes to the pan before pouring the batter in, you really elevate a traditional cornbread into something that will stop shows and steal breaths – people really do go wild for this one (myself included).

What to Serve with Our Tomato Cornbread Recipe

While I’d honestly have a thick slice of this big girl for lunch, and nothing else, I can confess that it does shine even brighter when it’s supporting a larger cast of characters. Imagine this … you set this tomato cornbread on a table that is filled with our other Southern superstars and watch your guests lose their minds. There’s the best ever ambrosia, and a huge spiced brisket that’s so tender it’s barely keeping it together. We’ve got some butter beans ready to surprise everyone when they find out they’re actually lima beans in delicious disguise. And lastly, there’s a truly magnificent Kentucky Butter Cake to seal the whole deal. Boom.

Honey Caramelized Tomato Cornbread: Here’s the Step-by-Step

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position. 
2. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together 3 TBSP melted butter with the 1 TBSP honey. Pour this into an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or covered with a piece of parchment paper, cut to fit the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the corn meal, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sugar. 
4. In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, buttermilk, and remaining 6 TBSP melted butter. Pour this mixture into the bowl with the dry mix and stir just until combined. Stir in the corn. Pour the batter into the pan with the tomatoes.
5. Bake your cornbread until set in the middle and lightly golden brown around the edges; about 26 to 28 minutes (use a knife or cake tester to test for doneness). Let the cornbread cool for 15 minutes before running a knife around the edges and transferring it to a rack or plate to cool. If you used parchment, gently peel it off and allow the bread to cool.  

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