Johnny Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the corn
Boil the whole corn in water with baking soda until softened but not broken up.
Knead or roll the corn on a stone until the texture is homogeneous.
Shape and cook
Divide the paste into portions and shape into cakes.
Cook the cakes on a hot plate, browning both sides until ready to serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Ground maize
- Forms the starchy base that sets into a firm, cohesive paste and cake.
- Baking soda
- Raises the alkalinity of the boiling water, softening the corn and helping it brown.
The step that matters
Boil the corn until softened but not broken up. Boiling softens the starch and kernel skins so the corn can be shaped. If it breaks down completely, the paste turns slack and the cakes will not hold their shape on the hot plate.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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