Corn is a staple ingredient in many Southern soul food dishes, so it’s no surprise that there are countless ways to prepare cornbread.
One classic soul food variation is Southern homemade Black folks’ skillet cornbread. Unlike recipes that use boxed mixes like Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix—though that does create a delicious Southern cornbread—this version is made entirely from scratch using cornmeal.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup medium-grind cornmeal
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup softened or whipped cream cheese

INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your conventional oven or Instant Pot Omni Plus oven to 350°F. Set the timer for 5 minutes to allow time to melt the butter, though you may not use the full duration.
- Place the butter in an 8-inch baking pan or skillet and melt it in the oven, approximately 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sugar) with the cream cheese and heavy cream.
- Once the butter has melted, pour it from the baking pan into the mixing bowl. Stir everything together until well combined.
- Pour the cornbread batter into the baking pan or skillet.
- Bake at 350°F:
- In a conventional oven, bake for 20–25 minutes.
- In an Instant Pot Omni Plus oven, bake for 18–20 minutes.