Corn Meal-pumpkin Dodgers
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make and shape the cakes
In a bowl, combine the mashed pumpkin, salt, sweetener, melted shortening, and cornmeal.
Mix thoroughly until the mixture is soft enough to scoop.
Shape the mixture into flat cakes using your hands.
Bake
Place the cakes on a greased baking sheet or griddle.
Bake for about 20 minutes until golden.
Optional steaming
Optionally, you can steam the cornmeal with the hot pumpkin for 10 minutes before mixing in the other ingredients.
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
- Cornmeal
- Forms the body of the cakes and sets with heat to give them structure.
- Cooked pumpkin
- Adds moisture and softness so the mixture holds together and can be scooped.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the cakes and helps them brown in the oven.
- Sweetener
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown as they bake.
The step that matters
Mixing to the right consistency. The mixture must be soft enough to scoop and shape but not runny. Cornmeal absorbs liquid as it sits and bakes, so the batter's moisture level determines whether the cakes hold their shape or spread and crumble.
“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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