Queso Cornbread Lava Cakes

What can we say about cornbread that hasn't already been said? Cornbread is an essential side dish for many, but we figured we'd push the cornbread envelope a little further by turning it into small cakes. That wasn't enough though, so we also pushed a cheese ball in the batter, so the cornbread cake turned into a next-level queso lava cake. Unbelievable? Well, you better believe it. Try out the recipe – you'll thank us!

You'll Need (for 6):

For the queso filling:

  • 4 oz cream cheese
  • ½ stick butter, softened
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1-2 tbsp salsa

For the cornbread lava cakes:

  • 2⅔ cups flour
  • 1⅓ cups yellow corn meal
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 1½ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tbsp chives
  • 3 oz chipotle peppers, drained and diced

For the garnish:

  • sour cream
  • fresh basil leaves or parsley

Here's How:

1. For the queso filling, add the cream cheese, softened butter, shredded cheddar, and shredded Monterey Jack to a mixing bowl and mix everything using a hand mixer. Then add 1-2 tablespoons of salsa.

2. Use an ice cream scoop to form 6 balls and put them in the freezer for at least 4 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F and prepare the cornbread batter. Add the flour, corn meal, baking powder, salt, milk, oil, eggs, chives, and finely chopped chipotle peppers to a bowl and mix until well combined.

4. Grease and flour a muffin pan and fill each mold halfway with cornbread batter. Push a frozen queso ball into the batter in each mold and fill them up with the rest of the batter. Put the pan in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

5. Flip the queso cornbread lava cakes over while still hot and garnish with sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro or basil.

Queso Cornbread Lava Cakes

Get the recipe for the Bacon-Wrapped Avocado Bombs featured in the bonus video.

Comments

Also hefty