Southern Hoe Cakes (Johnny Cakes)
Hoe cakes also known as Johnny cakes are essentially a cornmeal flatbread made out of cornmeal and fried in bacon grease or oil and smothered in maple syrup or used to soak up savory sauces or gravy.
Servings 4 -6
Calories 319kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup melted butter slightly cooled
- Vegetable oil or bacon grease for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt and whisk together.
- Make a well in the center and add in the egg, buttermilk, water, and melted butter and mix until combined.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil (I use bacon grease) in a 12-inch cast iron skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat.
- Scoop about 3 tablespoons of batter and drop into the frying pan, (I usually do 4 corncakes at a time)
- Fry each Hoe cake until the edges start to bubble, flip and fry for another couple minutes until golden brown.
- Remove and serve immediately with butter, and or syrup.
Video
Notes
These are best served hot out of the pan when the edges are crispy. But you can keep them warm in a 375-degree oven for 10-15 minutes.
The batter is supposed to be thick, but if you prefer it a bit thinner add 1 tablespoon of water to thin it.
I prefer to fry these in bacon grease, I just fry my bacon first then use that grease to fry these Johhny cakes.
I love to use a cast-iron skillet for these but another heavy skillet or griddle will work just fine.
Buttermilk: Make your own buttermilk with 1 cup of whole milk and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 319kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 727mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g