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Corncakes are a thing of beauty and surpisingly complex.  You get the fluffiness of the cake part, juxtaposed with the crunchiness of the corn and cornmeal; texture is king in these.  You can add chopped clams, among other savory things, or simply add sautéed apples or applesauce and maple syrup for breakfast.  I love flexible dishes and this is a great one.  I made these for breakfast, and they were rather fluffy and more like a regular pancake.  Then, with the leftover batter, I added more cornmeal, some dried chives and chile flakes and dried, minced onion to the batter.  These are savory, baby.

 

 

 

Corncakes

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

  • 1 can cream-style corn
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2-3/4 cup cornmeal*
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Add-Ins:

  • 3 tablespoons dried chives or 1/3 cup fresh snipped chives
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped scallions or 2 tablespoons dried minced onions
  • 1/4 cup very finely minced sun-dried tomato pieces
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure ground guajillo chile powder
  • 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp cheddar
  • 1 cup finely cooked chopped clams or shrimp
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped black olives
  • 1/2 cup finely crumbled cooked bacon

In a mixing bowl whisk to combine the corn, eggs, oil, sugar, buttermilk, vinegar and cornmeal.  Set aside for 15-20 minutes to let the cornmeal soften just a tad.

In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Using a rubber spatula, stir until just barely combined.

Drop 2 tablespoons of batter/pancake on a hot, oiled griddle.  Cook until browned, about 1-2 minutes; turn and continue to cook until done in the center, about 1-2 minutes.  Serve hot with sautéed apples and maple syrup.

NOTE:  Add-Ins:  If using one or more of the add-ins, add dry with dry ingredients and wet with wet ingredients.  Combinations that work well are:  ♦ clams, chives and bacon ♦ black olives, scallions and sun-dried tomatoes ♦ bacon, cheddar and chives ♦ bacon and onion ♦ chives, minced onion and chile powder.  You get the idea…find you own favorites.

*I use a coarser cornmeal.  If you want a fluffier pancake, use the lesser amount of cornmeal.  If you want a denser corncake, use the greater amount.  If you prefer, you may use a slightly finer cornmeal.  Whatever type of cornmeal you choose, the end result will be good, but there will be textural differences.

Corncakes Recipe©Marcia Lahens 2015.  All rights reserved.

160Tonight I’m going to add a bit of cheddar with chives, the dried minced onions and lots of black pepper.  I think these would be great with some creamed chicken spooned over them, but the sour cream was darned good, too.