Johnny Cakes

Not at all an English breakfast dish, my daughter has a recipe for Johnny Cakes sourced from one of her Felicity American Girl books.  (Felicity is a ‘spunky’ 9 year old growing up in Williamsburg circa 1774.)   Today we whipped up these breakfast cakes and served them with applesauce, and I present them here for your would-be Colonial American delectation.

1 C water
2 T butter
1 C cornmeal  (we added 2 T flour as well)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t sugar (we increased to 1 t)
1/2 t sugar
1/2 C milk

Heat water and butter in saucepan until they boil.  (Or add boiling water from the kettle, if you aren’t doing this Felicity-style.)  Put dry ingredients in a bowl, then pour boiling ingredients over.  Pour in milk and stir until well mixed.  Grease skillet and drop batter by spoonfuls over medium-low heat.  Let cook until they are golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

We found that without the extra flour, the batter was a bit watery and the cakes came out very crispy.  A bit of flour turned them softer and they cooked up a bit easier.  This is what the batter looks like with a bit of flour added in.

I use a cast iron skillet, and they cooked beautifully — no sticking.

Here’s that golden color that lets you know you’re finished.

Lay them out on a pretty plate and serve them up!  They don’t taste like pancakes, so don’t make the mistake of calling them “colonial pancakes” — your kids will have misguided expectations and make funny faces at you.  Expect more of a corn muffin flavor, serve with applesauce or powdered sugar and jam, and enjoy.

(Like this recipe?  It’s adapted from Felicity’s Cooking Studio.)