We love a bit of cornbread with dinner sometimes, but this Amish onion cake has been a real game changer. Just like the subtle sweetness that cornbread has, this onion “cake” does have some sweetness because of the caramelized onions on top and a just a tiny bit of sugar in the batter. But, this dense, cake-like bread is also incredibly moist thanks to whole milk, sour cream, and the addition of 5 eggs into the mix.

This delicious bread-cake also gets a lot of flavor from the addition of paprika, poppy seeds, and a healthy helping of black pepper. To begin making this bread you’ll need to caramelize 3 to 4 Vidalia onions in a 1/2 cup of butter for 10 minutes. All bulb onions have some sugar, but Vidalia are the sweetest so stick to this variety for best results.

For this recipe you don’t need to chop the onions too finely since they will shrink up in the cooking process. You want roughly 1″ squares or rectangles for this one.

It isn’t necessary to completely finish the caramelization process in the skillet as the onions will continue to brown in the oven. Add poppy seeds, salt, paprika, and pepper to the onions and stir before removing from heat and setting aside.

After the onions are prepared it’s time to prepare the batter. First combine the dry ingredients, including some cornstarch to thicken it, and then cut in 1 1/4 cups butter to form a loose dough. Then whisk together the eggs, milk, sour cream, and 1/4 cup melted butter.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and then pour in the milk mixture and only stir until just combined so that you don’t overwork the dough. Add the batter to a greased 10″ springform pan and then top with the onions. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 350˚F. Once slightly cooled you can release the cake from the pan.

Cut into wedges and serve alongside steak, chicken, soups, or any other dinnertime entrée. Don’t let the “cake” in the name fool you, this is a hearty slice that goes perfectly with savory dishes.