Tender Cornbread + Pimiento Cheese Spread = the perfect accompaniment to a big pot of chili or soup!!
I bake a lot of cornbread in the fall and winter, because it goes perfectly with the chili and soup I love to make!! I often take a weeknight shortcut and use that little blue box mix. I usually bake up a pan of cornbread or cornbread muffins right in my favorite countertop oven.
This recipe came about when planning for a KitchenAid on QVC event featuring our Countertop Convection Oven with two matching roasting pans. Turns out each pan fits perfectly two of those little blue cornbread mixes! …and if you bake up two layers of those (at the same time, because the oven has two baking racks) you can slather a homemade pimiento cheese spread in between the cornbread layers and make this “Cornbread Layer Cake with Pimiento Cheese Filling!” This will be a big hit at your next fall gathering!!
If you don’t have those pans or that oven – No Worries! A quarter sheet pan is similar in size (photo below) and you can bake these up in your traditional oven, I would just watch the bake time as they may finish a little sooner as the cornbread will be spread out a little more, bake faster and come out a bit thinner.
Prepare your pans for baking:
The first time I baked these I sprayed the pan with non-stick baking spray and all was fine, but the second time I had some sticking, so I recommend lining your pan with parchment paper.
Mix your Pimiento Cheese Spread and spread on like the frosting on a cake!
Cornbread Layer Cake with Pimiento Cheese Filling:
Ingredients
Cornbread:
- non-stick baking spray
- 4 boxes Jiffy Cornbread/Muffin Mix
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/3 cups milk
Pimento Cheese Filling:
- 8 ounces philadelphia cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounce jar chopped pimientos drained
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon - 1 tablespoon hot sauce I used 1 teaspoon Frank’s Red Hot
- 2 cups finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Cornbread:
- Preheat oven to 375 F degrees if using dark pans. 400 F if using lighter pans.
- In my KitchenAid Countertop Convection Oven - I use rack positions 1 and 5.
- For this recipe I used the two black enamel coated steel pans that came with my KitchenAid Countertop Convection Oven. They measure: 9 ⅛” x 11”. You could alternatively use a quarter sheet pan (9” x 13” approx.) in your traditional oven, but you will need to monitor the bake time as the pan is a little larger and they will be more spread out and thinner.
- Spray pan with non-stick baking spray, line bottom of pan with parchment paper, spray again with non-stick baking spray.
- Mix your cornbread mix, pour into pans (I actually mix 2 boxes in one bowl and two boxes in another bowl, so I just have to pour the contents of 1 bowl into 1 pan and I know they’ll be even.)
- Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes.
- Allow to cool about 10 minutes before turning out of pans.
Pimiento Cheese Filling:
- Use hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add mayonnaise and all seasonings and mix until combined. Mix in cheese.
Assemble:
- Place one layer of cornbread on your platter. Spread the pimiento cheese filling over that layer, top with other cornbread layer.
- If making ahead (few hours - 1 day) refrigerate covered.
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