Cornmeal Drop Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine cornmeal, fat, and salt.
Allow the mixture to cool, then add the beaten egg yolks.
If the batter is too thick, add a little more milk or water.
Gently fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.
Cook
Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a greased hot griddle.
Cook until browned and puffed with air bubbles, then flip and cook the other side until done.
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
- Provides the main body and structure of the cakes as it sets when cooked.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich the batter, while whipped whites trap air that helps the cakes puff.
- Fat
- Adds richness and tenderness, keeping the cakes from tasting dry.
- Hot water
- Hydrates the cornmeal so the batter forms a spoonable consistency.
The step that matters
Fold in the egg whites gently. Overmixing knocks out the air trapped in the whites, which is what makes the cakes puff on the griddle.
“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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