Brown-Butter Sweet Corn Skillet Cake with Chili-Honey Glaze

Serves 6 · 20 min prep · 35 min cook

Ingredients

• 10 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups fresh sweet corn kernels
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fine cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 1/2 tsp chili crisp
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. 1Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and melt most of the butter until it foams, turns deep golden, and smells nutty, about 4 to 5 minutes; swirl often so the milk solids brown evenly without burning.
2. 2Scoop out a spoonful of the browned butter into a small bowl and set it aside for the glaze; pour the rest into a large mixing bowl and let it cool 3 minutes so it will not scramble the eggs.
3. 3While the butter cools, pat the fresh sweet corn kernels very dry with a clean kitchen towel so excess moisture does not weigh down the batter.
4. 4Whisk the granulated sugar and brown sugar into the cooled brown butter until the mixture looks sandy and glossy.
5. 5Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and milk until the batter is smooth and slightly thickened.
6. 6In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and kosher salt; fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients just until no dry streaks remain.
7. 7Gently fold in the sweet corn kernels so they are evenly distributed; the batter will be thick and studded with bright yellow kernels.
8. 8Wipe the same skillet clean, lightly grease it with a dab of remaining butter, and scrape the batter into the pan, smoothing the top with a spatula.
9. 9Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until the edges pull away from the pan, the top is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs, 28 to 32 minutes.
10. 10While the cake bakes, warm the reserved brown butter with the honey and chili crisp in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until the glaze is fluid and fragrant, about 2 minutes; keep warm.
11. 11Remove the skillet from the oven and let the cake rest 10 minutes so the crumb sets; the center should still feel soft and springy when lightly pressed.
12. 12Drizzle the warm chili-honey glaze over the entire surface, letting it pool in the cracks, then finish with flaky sea salt.
13. 13Slice into wedges right in the skillet and serve warm so the corn stays sweet and the glaze stays glossy; leftovers reheat beautifully in a 300°F oven for 8 minutes.