New England Spider Cake

So easy to make that even my husband can do it. We don't drink milk but we keep dried buttermilk in the pantry for times, like this afternoon, when we decide "This sounds good, haven't had it for awhile." Luckily hubby got heavy cream the last time he went shopping.
The cast iron skillet gives us a beautiful crust.

Can evaporated milk be substituted for the heavy cream?

Has anyone doubled the recipe for a larger cake? Put it in a 9 x 13 maybe?

Has anyone made a GF version of this recipe?

Completely easy and really delicious. Is it good for you? Who cares!! Make it once in a while and share it. I was able to just have one piece, but I wanted more!

This was a fantastic, over the top surprise! I have had this intriguing recipe sitting on my kitchen counter for a couple of weeks, finally making it for Thanksgiving week guests. It is simply delicious. I can't recommend it enough! Perhaps a fruit compote would be a lovely addition. Or just relish the delicious simplicity of this cake.

I loved this cake! Texture wise it's very old fashioned or English-syle "pudding." I made a fresh blueberry syrup and fresh whipped cream to serve with it. A squeeze of lemon and we were in HEAVEN. I recommend to take it out when it's still just a little jiggly. The custardy layer is like golden curds of delishiousness.

From the recipe I think I would really like this cake. My cast iron skillet is bigger (a little over 13-in), What would be a best substitute: an enameled skillet or stainless steel?

For those commenting on being too sweet or cornbread shouldn't have sugar, remember, this is not cornbread! This is cake; it's meant to be sweet.

Cider vinegar works just as well as white. You can also use 2 c. buttermilk instead of milk and vinegar.

For those people claiming that NO TRUE SOUTHERNER adds sugar to cornbread, please don't lump the whole entire south into one group! Maybe your family/area doesn't, but many certainly do. I've eaten cornbread in many restaurants across the south when traveling and many cooks put sugar in it. Some added just a little, some added a lot. I lived in Texas and Alabama for several years, and almost everybody I knew there added sugar! And they were many generations southern. Some families differentiated between cornbread and corn muffins. The bread didn't have sugar but the muffins did. Others added or not according to how it was going to be served. If they planned to serve it with chili or something else savory over it, or were making stuffing, they didn't add sugar. If it was to be eaten just as a bread, they added sugar.

I tried this recipe and it mostly came out great..the only issue was that the crust was too brown (maybe burnt?) for me. If you have any tips on how to make a softer crust please do let me know!

I tried this recipe and it mostly came out great..the only issue was that the crust was too brown (maybe burnt?) for me. If you have any tips on how to make a softer crust please do let me know!

I've been eyeing this recipe for some time & just made it, a half batch as Julianna below wisely suggested. Shortened the time to 35 mins (will do 30 mins next time). Love the custard in the middle! Thank you so much for this recipe.

This recipe was tasty on a cloudy cool day. I made a half batch recipe with less sugar in an 8 inch pie pan. The flavor was good, but I might tweak it slightly to have more of the custard layer.

I made this with bob’s red mill GF apf and it turned out great! I agree with others that it could be a little less sweet. And I actually liked it better the next day after spending time in the fridge. The flavors meld into custardy corny sweet goodness and it becomes almost like edible pudding. It makes me want to experiment with corn and cream in fancier formats. Simple and delicious.

Does anyone know why it's called a spider cake?

Just made this. I had some maple sugar from Vermont which I used instead of regular sugar. Had no cornmeal, but did have polenta. Used a 12” nonstick skillet. It turned out great!!!!! I love it and I have been looking for a use for the maple sugar and thought this would work. It did.

This was really good, thank you so much! So delicious and heartening! I didn't have a cast iron skillet, so I made it in a ceramic baking dish - still turned out well for my taste. Next time, I will choose a little wider dish, so the spider cake will be a little flatter - better for the custard. Great excuse to make it again! Thank you so much for sharing this!

I made this as written. Such an interesting cake. It was good - like a sweet cornbread with a custard layer through the middle. The batter was very thin, but it turned out fine. I poured the whipping cream directly in the middle as directed. It was interesting how it perfectly separated out into custard like layer in the middle. I see lots of places where you could experiment and expand on this recipe, but start with it as written and go from there. You won't be disappointed.

Reading these comments are making me want to make this straight away!! Yummmm!

I wish the instructions were clearer about the middle part being normally jiggly. I only found out when I went to the NYT original recipe and a commenter mentioned that. I added an extra ten minutes and I finally took it out. The outside was a bit too brown -- the part that touched my cast iron pan. The middle was jigglier than the pics. But it was good. I think I would decrease the sugar next time.

So delicious! I had to make some variations because of pantry & dietary reasons but I can't wait to try it as is next time. I used aquafaba instead of eggs, and pureed canned creamed corn because i didn't have any cream. and it's still so yummy and i'm sure it's going to be oh so good with the cream filling, too. maple syrup on top of course (used less sugar because of this plus the canned corn is already sweet :).

Just made this for the first time tonight since I had milk I needed to use up. Oh man, so good! Thing is, I didn't have heavy cream, but I DID have strawberry-banana drinkable yogurt. Dropped that in instead and BOOM, amazing. I think I would rather use the yogurt than cream in the future as well.

I make this last weekend. It was OK don't know if I'll make it again.

@Lisa Hill, I would recommend refrigeration. This isn't really a display sort of cake. It is good though.

I'm eager to try this recipe. Any comments on storage? Does it need to be refrigerated or can i leave it in display in my fabulous covered cake stand?

What kind of pan can you substitute for the cast iron one?

Isn't this the same as the Custard-Filled Cornbread in Marion Cunningham's 'The Breakfast Book'? (photos and recipe here on Lottie + Doof: http://www.lottieanddoof.com/2012/01/custard-filled-cornbread/) I've made it many times, and it's wonderful... but I think the recipe is identical, no?

Does anyone have thoughts on how to make a gluten free version?

Easy recipe, even for a first time attempt! It came together last minute indeed. I used cider vinegar because my white vinegar is for cleaning and is stored with harsh chemicals, but I followed the recipe exactly after that (even used the same cast iron skillet, from the looks of it). The two tablespoons of butter was an estimate. I think you can easily use less, since its for coating your pan, if your skillet is well seasoned.

Remember to make sure you can finish the cake or you have enough storage containers! I barely had enough. Don't store it in your cast iron since that can hurt the seasoning.

Does anyone know if you can use coarse cornmeal or must it be fine?

I was stalked by this recipe and finally made it from another site (where they call for fresh berries and buttermilk). I happen to like the fresh berries but did think that the cake as stated on that website needed more sugar and also more eggs (they called for 2 Tbsp. honey and 1 egg, but it appears to be half this recipe so maybe that is actually accurate). I've now made it twice and really like it with the berries. I do think that I would use a bit more sugar .

Yummy! SO glad I had a cup of cream I needed to use up. Lovely with maple syrup.

This is fantastic as is. I did have to warm my milk-vinegar mixture slightly to get it to cuddle, but so delicious and quick to put together.

I have this in my oven right now. I too think the batter is thin, but based on your comment I have faith it will work out.

I never can understand why people feel a need to tweak a recipe before trying it as written...makes no sense trying to improve upon something one has never tasted!

I just made this cake/cornbread. I am amazed and dazed!!!!!! I thought the batter was way too thin. Then pouring heavy cream on top?????? Well, I was completely surprised. I did replace a quarter cup of sugar with brown sugar. And all I had was white corn meal mix. But with all that the corn bread turned out amazing. Thank you very much for a very pleasant surprise.

Leave it to a D*** Yankee to claim they invented cornbread. What? Your local grocery doesn't have buttermilk (milk plus vinegar)? Then just use milk and sour cream. My Daddy used THREE eggs and no self respecting Southerner would ever add sugar... though I have been guilty as charged. I place my skillet in the oven and mix the ingredients while both oven and skillet heat up. But don't put the butter in the oven to heat. Mine always turns out better when the batter rests at least ten minutes. Got to try the cream in the middle trick. Another trick is to dissolve the soda in a little water before you add it to the batter.

This is delicious. Mine came out more like a polenta pudding, probably because I used a 9 1/2 inch cake pan. I baked mine for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. It was very jiggly, but firmed up a little more as it cooled. The perfect breakfast. Thanks, Sarah!

Absolutely love this recipe. Excellent with maple syrup as suggested and a little fresh fruit. Best when freshly baked and cooled just a little. I put it in the oven as we sit down to eat. One of my go to desserts!

I have a favorite recipe that is very similar to this, but it uses milk instead of cream on top. It is called Cornmeal Batter Cake. Will have to try it with cream next time.

Has anyone tried this in a loaf pan or is the cast iron skillet a must - I have it but was just curious>

My milk didn't curdle after I added the vinegar even though I waited over 10 minutes. I used 2% since this is what I always buy. Did I need to use some specific type of milk or wait until it was room temperature?

The best part of this is telling my boys I'm making a spidercake. They were soooo excited!! This is absolutely delicious & so easy! Don't think I could go back to regular cornbread now. The middle is extra wet, so I do recommend letting it sit in pan after taking out of oven for 5-10 to let it all firm up a bit. Make this now- sooooo yummy!!!!!

I ended up using dried buttermilk and it is so so good. Didn't want to waste the heavy cream so we put that on top of the maple syrup. And FYI a true dutch oven has legs & a rimmed lid, you put coals underneath and on top which is the reason for that lip. I've had many wonderful meals cooked that way. Going to see how long to bake the cake that way, what a treat that will be in the back country.

An object lesson in mise en place: I made this for breakfast yesterday morning (Southerners that we are, we've been out of school all week for a dusting of snow and single-digit temps; I gladly accept the derision of New Englanders dealing with 10+ feet of snow right now). I whisked together the dry ingredients and then worked on the wet, only to find no white vinegar (champagne vinegar, cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, two cheap and two artisanal balsamics, and rice wine vinegar, yes, but no white vinegar). I did have just enough buttermilk, so I substituted that for the whole milk and white vinegar. The cake came out beautifully! I'll definitely try it again, now that I have white vinegar on hand.

This really intrigues but also confuses me. My VA raised Mom baked spoonbread which i loved (called ' batter bread ' in VA) but it had no sugar/was a savory thing. But then the photo puts me in the mind of a Lemon pudding cake i have been wanting to try. I guess i'd have to include the lemon juice as some of the milk or cream, and i'd add lemon zest. Anyone ever tried a version like that? I'll have to pull out some pudding cake recipes to compare! Thx so much for the inspiration! You sure have been a big hit for the 52ers!

Very easy recipe and good for weeknight dessert or breakfast. Just the tiniest bit of sweet which I like sometimes. Next time I'll try it with brown sugar. I think this could be one of those recipes that is easily adaptable with fresh berries mixed in, or cheese and herbs instead of the sugar.

I have made this twice in the past week, used single cream (live in Scotland) instead of heavy or double cream, absolutely superb, thank you!

Just ponderin'......I'm an Addams Family kinda gal myself.....and I DO LIKE Spiders!!
Where do the 'spiders' come in in THIS cake???? (Just wonderin......:D)

Hi, I'm cooking for a dairy-free family-- can I substitute coconut milk or coconut cream for the heavy cream? Or veg shortening or something else for the butter? Also-- general question --any ideas for a substitute for brown butter? I've been using the organic butter substitute with a splash of buttermilk or a glob of cream cheese to get some nuttiness from the milk solids-- the family is not allergic to dairy but prefers to avoid it.

I am so hooked on this! It was way too good. I'm about to cook another one!

Hi - This would be a great dish for an upcoming baby shower brunch - thanks for sharing. I will need to swap out the eggs (mom to be is egg-allergic) and then the cream and butter for vegan friends attending. Any new ideas for substituting beyond applesauce, soy ice cream. Also I live in a rural location for ingredient gathering. Many Thanks, Patti

This recipe sounds wonderful. It also seems to be very similar to one I recently made for our holiday dinners, called Spoon Bread. The first time I ate Spoon Bread was in 1975 when I was on the Eastern Shore of Virgina. It was in a restaurant and they served it with a large serving spoon. People in the Midwest and New England just didn't know about this wonderful food. I just thought about it again this year and with the internet, I found a multitude of recipes. So, this holiday season, I tried out several recipes I found on the internet. I actually changed each of them by adding some brown sugar (about 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar) for added sweetness. I also find that fat free 1/2 & 1/2 in place of the heavy cream. It worked just fine to create a custard layer. Before adding the brown sugar, I too also tasted it with maple syrup. It is very good this way but, it wasn't quite what I was looking to find. It was a bit too sweet with the syrup or not sweet enough with the standard recipe. I prefer sweetening the recipe itself, rather than serving it with maple syrup. My family liked it just as it was baked. I'm the one with the 'sweet tooth'. I don't have a cast iron skillet, so I used both a rectangular Pyrex baking dish that was about 2 inches deep as well as a round French White Corning casserole dish. Each glass baking pan I used, resulted in a nicely crisped bottom. I did preheat the baking pans with butter which was slightly browned when I added the batter. We generally serve it with a large serving spoon although it could have been cut into squares, or into pie shaped portions. Hope this reassures those that don't have a cast iron skillet that almost any baking pan that is deep enough will work.

Made this from Jonathan Reynold's NYT recipe back in 2005---loved using our thrift store seasoned cast iron. I also accidentally browned the butter and it was a plus for flavor.

So good! Just re-heated the half we didn't eat two days ago. Just put it on a baking sheet and baked at 350 for 15 minutes. Not perfection, like when fresh out of the oven, but pretty darn close.

omg. Just made this... and did do the maple syrup thing. Took some to my neighbor. She called, asked if she could come over and bury her face in it. Think she liked it.

Ok, I'm the only person in America who doesn't own a cast iron skillet (please hold the snarky remarks :). Could I use a normal cake pan?

After melting the butter, what kind of heat do you need under the skillet when adding the batter and cream?

I just made this with a big pot of chili- it was perfect and a nice variation on corn bread! So yummy!

I can't wait to make this. It is on the menu for NYD brunch. Do you literally pour the cream in the middle of the pan on top of the batter or do you pour it around a bit?

Jane thank you, will try rice flour

Wheat, rye, and barley are the big gluten offenders, not cornmeal. Try it with rice flour.

My husband is Celiac and I was wondering if you could give me any advice on how to tweak this recipe for gluten free preparation - thanks

I would only bake this in a hot cast iron skillet with a good coating of melted butter. The hot heavy iron gives a nice crisp crust on the bottom. It really reminds me of a rich southern spoonbread (oft pudding-like cornbread), and I shall make it tomorrow.

I've tried the Corn Cake and it turnd out delicious! Thanks for recipe!

I made this yesterday, as an afternoon snack. It turned out exactly as pictured and disappeared in a flash! Thank you for this fabulous recipe; it's already a family favorite.

Does it have to be baked in a cast iron skillet? Can a regular cake pan do?

Could you use regular low fat buttermilk instead of the soured milk? Thanks in advance!!

This sounds like spoonbread. I used to know someone who calleda cast iron skillet a "spider."

Would this work as a potluck dessert or does it need to be served straight out of the oven?