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Recipes » Courses » Breakfast » Easy Hoe Cakes Recipe (Johnny Cakes)

Easy Hoe Cakes Recipe (Johnny Cakes)

Posted on April 15, 2020 By Chef Billy Parisi

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After you taste one these easy to make cornmeal Hoe Cakes, you’ll forget all about ever wanting to eat pancakes again.

We make pretty epic breakfasts every morning to start off the day.  I often make omelettes and almost always have bacon on the menu as well.

cornmeal cakes with butter maple

Hoe Cakes

Hoe Cakes are a classic southern staple and essentially their version of the pancake.  In its simplest form they consist of the following ingredients:

  • Cornmeal
  • Salt
  • Hot Water

Just like any classic recipe, hoe cakes are considered peasant food.  They were created based on what ingredients were readily available, and what they could afford.  If you fast forward to current times, hoe cakes are often made with the addition of butter, eggs, flour, and sugar to further enhance the flavor.

Is It the Same as a Johnny Cake

Hoe cakes are the exact same as a Johnny Cake.  Johnny Cakes were founded in the Northeast portion of the United States, and to be more exact, New England.  In fact, Johnny Cakes were around before hoe cakes as they are dated back to the 18th century.

They were later adopted by the south and given their own name.

How to Make Them

Follow these easy instructions to make this recipe:

In a large bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

Adding dry ingredients to a large bowl

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and water until combined.

mixing together dry ingredients in a bowl

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently whisk just until combined.

mixing together a hoe cake batter in a bowl

Add a ½ cup to ¾ cup of batter to a griddle, frying pan or cast-iron skillet in oil or melted butter and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until light and fluffy and cooked throughout.

cooking a johnny cake in some butter in a skillet

What to Serve them With

Just like any typical breakfast recipe, here are a few things these would go great with:

  • Bacon
  • Chia Seed Pudding
  • Granola

Recipe Chef Notes + Tips

Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time.  Keep warm wrapped in foil and in the oven at 175° before serving.

How to Reheat: Place on a pan wrapped in foil and heat in the oven at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until hot.  You can also heat in the microwave.

How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.  Cover and freeze for up to 2 months.  Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day, or until unfrozen, before reheating.

It is best to use finely ground cornmeal, but you can extend that to a medium or coarse ground as well.

To further enhance the flavor of these hoe cakes, I would absolutely advise using rendered bacon fat instead of butter.

You can absolutely use milk in place of the buttermilk.

If you want to make your own buttermilk, simply mix 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk.

You can also cook the hoe cakes in butter instead of oil.

johnny cakes on a plate served with fruit

More Breakfast Recipes

  • Omelette
  • Cinnamon Rolls
  • Gravlax
  • Quiche
  • Corned Beef Hash
  • French Toast

Be sure to follow me on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Video

cornmeal cakes with butter maple
Print Recipe
5 from 2 votes

Easy Hoe Cakes Recipe (Johnny Cakes)

After you taste one these easy to make cornmeal Hoe Cakes with syrup, you’ll forget all about ever wanting to eat pancakes again.
Prep Time5 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 306kcal
Author: Chef Billy Parisi

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups fine cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup water
  • Oil for cooking

Instructions

  • In a large bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
  • In a separate large bowl whisk together the eggs, butter, buttermilk, and water until combined.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in gently whisk just until combined.
  • Pour the oil into a large frying pan, cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-low heat and pour in a ½ cup to ¾ cup of the batter and cook as many at a time as possible without touching each other in the pan,
  • Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until light and fluffy and cooked throughout.
  • Serve with fresh berries, butter, and maple syrup.

Notes

Chef Notes:
  • Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 1 hour ahead of time. Keep warm wrapped in foil and in the oven at 175° before serving.
 
  • How to Reheat: Place on a pan wrapped in foil and heat in the oven at 350° for 6-8 minutes or until hot. You can also heat in the microwave.
 
  • How to Store: Place covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day, or until unfrozen, before reheating.
 
  • It is best to use finely ground cornmeal, but you can extend that to a medium or coarse ground as well.
 
  • To further enhance the flavor of these hoe cakes, I would absolutely advise using rendered bacon fat instead of butter.
 
  • You can absolutely use milk in place of the buttermilk.
 
  • If you want to make your own buttermilk, simply mix 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar or lemon juice with 1 cup of milk.
 
  • You can also cook the hoe cakes in butter instead of oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 306kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 255mg | Potassium: 336mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg
Easy Hoe Cakes Recipe (Johnny Cakes) was last modified: June 25th, 2020 by Chef Billy Parisi

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Comments

  1. Shirley Voss says

    January 15, 2021 at 10:35 pm

    I heard (from another celebrity chef, years ago) that the term “Johnny” cake was an evolution of the word “journey” cake, allowing for a heavy New England accent. They were a food that was brought with when you went on a journey… therefore “journey cake” … but if you soften or drop the “R” in journey (as they do in New England) you get something that sounds like “Johnny” cake. I don’t know if the story is true.

    Reply
    • Chef Billy Parisi says

      January 22, 2021 at 9:55 am

      I’ve heard that before as well.

      Reply
  2. Sharon Archer says

    August 31, 2020 at 6:04 pm

    5 stars
    I made an error and used precooked cornmeal that I had bought to make arepas. (Maybe a recipe idea?). I had to thin it a ton but very tasty and filling. I put the rest in the freezer for when I want a little something something.

    Thanks for your calm cooking…

    Reply
  3. Lou says

    August 19, 2020 at 7:11 pm

    Absolutely love your videos and receipes, will try those hoe cakes for sure

    Reply
  4. Theresa says

    April 19, 2020 at 11:53 am

    5 stars
    Really easy, really tasty. I rarely have anything other than coffee for breakfast, but decided I needed a quarantine brunch this Sunday. I did cook mine in bacon grease and YUM! Served with fresh strawberries, bacon, coffee, and a mimosa (or 3) — thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

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I’m Billy Parisi and thanks for checking out my site! I’m a culinary school grad that spent 15 years in the restaurant industry as a line cook, sous chef and executive chef. Now I write recipes, take pictures of’em, shoot some video, occasionally hosting on TV, checking out the latest fashion, hangin with my wife and daughter and watching a whole bunch of college sports. Hope you enjoy my twists on classics as well as new innovations! Read More…

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