Hoe Cakes Can Be Served Alone or as a Side
Hoe cakes, also known as Johnny cakes, are essentially a fried flatbread made out of cornmeal. Fried in bacon grease or oil and smothered in maple syrup or used to soak up savory sauces or gravy.
When I think of these fried cornbread cakes, I feel nostalgic. When I was a kid, I was so happy whenever my grandmother prepared these cakes for us. Nothing is better and sweeter than the recipes of the past.
Southern hoe cakes are fried cornbread cakes.
A hoe cake is a rustic fried version of a pancake made with ground cornmeal. When cooked well, it is crisp golden on the edges, dense on the inside and sturdy enough to stand its own with honey, syrup and butter, or paired with Southern dishes, such as braised collards.
Ingredients
- 1 cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 teaspoonful baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 tablespoonful sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil or bacon grease
- 3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
- Pinch of salt
Hoe cakes can be served alone for breakfast or as a side with Southern dishes.
Directions
- Add flour, cornmeal and baking powder to a large bowl and combine with a fork.
- Add two eggs and milk to the bowl and mix everything with an electric mixer until the mixture becomes homogeneous.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, then add a third cup of the mixture to the pan to make hoecake (add about 3 cakes at once to the pan). Once they start bubbling on top, flip them over and let them cook until golden brown.
- Remove from the frying pan and serve them with maple syrup, honey or butter.
Eat them hot because they taste much better. Enjoy!
