Johnny Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Make the batter
In a pan, place 1 quart of Indian meal and make a hole in the center.
Pour in 1 pint of warm water and add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Stir the mixture vigorously for 15 minutes.
Bake
Spread the batter onto a buttered pan.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven until golden.
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
- Indian meal
- Provides the bulk and structure of the cake once the batter is baked.
- Warm water
- Hydrates the meal into a spreadable batter that sets as it bakes.
The step that matters
Bake until golden. Browning on the surface comes from the Maillard reaction between sugars and proteins at high heat, so color is the best sign the cake is done.
“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.
More johnny cake recipes
You might also like
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipes
Yorkshire Pudding264 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.