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Growing up, I was never too fond of Western and American desserts. I always found them tooth-achingly sweet, so even as a child, I’d never eat frosting or fondant. I stayed away from very colorful cookies or desserts with a layer of sparkling sugar.
You could say I’ve always had a not-too-sweet tooth. What I did (and still do) love are the salty-sweet pastries one could find at Asian bakeries, such as, for example, a pork floss scallion cake.
It’s a not-too-sweet chiffon cake topped or filled with salty pork floss and studded with chopped scallions. Another example would be a white lotus mooncake with a salted duck egg yolk in the center. Asian-style desserts are not too sweet with perfectly balanced flavors. Asians aren’t afraid to add salty components like Chinese sausage to their sweet treats.
This Asian loves adding miso to cookie dough and cake batter. Lately, she also likes using soy sauce in her desserts.
Soy sauce is the secret ingredient I used to make the best cornbread ever. The inspiration to infuse a maple honey butter sauce and whipped cream with soy sauce comes from Golden Diner’s viral honey butter pancakes. Chef Danny Yoo drenches large fluffy pancakes with a sauce made with honey, butter, maple syrup (I believe), and soy sauce. Yes, soy sauce.
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Soy sauce is not one-note brackish or salty like plain salt, so it brings beautiful notes of caramel, umami, and salinity to your desserts. It also doesn’t overpower, but complements and harmonizes with sweetness.
Drenching cornbread with a sauce is a must because most prepackaged cornbread mixes are gluten-free, and gluten-free flour and mixes tend to be over-drying and liquid-absorbing.
Cornbread usually comes out a bit dry from the oven, right? You always want to drench it with butter. To have super moist cornbread, however, you’re going to treat it like a tres leches cake and give it lots of holes, enough to make someone with trypophobia turn away.
Then, you’re going to drizzle it with my secret sauce, one made with honey, maple syrup, butter, and high-quality soy sauce. You’re going to reserve some of that sauce to whip with heavy cream to make a spread that goes on top of the drenched cornbread. And your tastebuds will thank me, singing me praises for years to come.
So, ready to make the best cornbread ever, one that you’ll want to make on repeat? Without further ado, here is my Best Cornbread Recipe Ever…
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