Poverty- Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Mix cornmeal, salt, and enough boiling water to form a dough.
Shape the mixture into round, flat cakes.
Fry the cakes in hot fat until golden brown.
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 main body of the cakes, setting into a firm, starchy dough when mixed with boiling water.
- Boiling water
- Hydrates the cornmeal and gelatinizes its starch so the mixture holds together as a dough.
- Fat for frying
- Conducts heat to brown the outside of the cakes, creating a golden, crisp crust.
The step that matters
Frying in hot fat. If the fat is not hot enough, the cakes absorb grease and turn soggy rather than forming a crisp, golden crust. Hot fat sears the surface quickly, sealing in moisture.
“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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