Molasses Hoecakes
A thick cornmeal griddle cake, golden in a cast-iron skillet, eaten hot with a pour of blackstrap molasses. Crisp outside, tender inside, both salty and sweet.
A thick cornmeal griddle cake, golden in a cast-iron skillet, eaten hot with a pour of blackstrap molasses. Crisp outside, tender inside, both salty and sweet.
My child, back home in Texas we didn't have much, but we always had a sack of cornmeal and Mama's old cast-iron skillet. You mix it up, drop the batter into the sizzling fat, and let it get that beautiful golden crust. When it's hot, you pour the molasses over it, slow, and watch the dark stream run down. That's the taste of my South, the taste of mornings when that was all we had — and it was good, believe me.
- •Cornmeal — two handfuls (base of the cake)
- •Boiling water or buttermilk — enough (bind the batter)
- •Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- •Lard or bacon fat — a spoonful (cooking fat)
- •Blackstrap molasses — a drizzle (sweet topping)
Molasses Hoecakes
A thick cornmeal griddle cake, golden in a cast-iron skillet, eaten hot with a pour of blackstrap molasses. Crisp outside, tender inside, both salty and sweet.
Why this dish? As a poor child in Rogers, Texas, raised by his mother Lula Elizabeth during the Great Depression, Alvin knew scarce food. The skillet-cooked cornmeal cake, drizzled with molasses, was the daily meal of Black families in the rural South — a full belly for cheap.
My child, back home in Texas we didn't have much, but we always had a sack of cornmeal and Mama's old cast-iron skillet. You mix it up, drop the batter into the sizzling fat, and let it get that beautiful golden crust. When it's hot, you pour the molasses over it, slow, and watch the dark stream run down. That's the taste of my South, the taste of mornings when that was all we had — and it was good, believe me.
Ingredients (period version)
- Cornmeal — two handfuls (base of the cake)
- Boiling water or buttermilk — enough (bind the batter)
- Salt — a pinch (seasoning)
- Lard or bacon fat — a spoonful (cooking fat)
- Blackstrap molasses — a drizzle (sweet topping)
Ingredients
- Fine cornmeal — 200 g (base of the cake)
- Buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice) — 200 ml (bind the batter)
- Egg — 1 (binder)
- Salt — 1/2 tsp (seasoning)
- Butter or neutral oil — 2 tbsp (cooking fat)
- Blackstrap molasses — to taste (topping)
Method
- Mix cornmeal, salt, egg, and buttermilk until a thick but flowing batter forms. Let rest 10 minutes.
- Heat butter in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Drop ladlefuls of batter to form palm-sized cakes.
- Cook 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden.
- Serve hot, generously drizzled with blackstrap molasses.
How it was made : The "hoecake" gets its name from the legend that it was once cooked on the blade of a hoe in the fields. In the Black South, cornmeal was the staple food par excellence, and molasses — a cheap byproduct of sugar refining — was the only sweetener available to poor families.
The contemporary twist : Stack three small hoecakes like a tower, molasses between each layer and a pinch of flaky salt on top: a rustic "cake" that catches the eye.
Sources : Adrian Miller, Soul Food: The Surprising Story of an American Cuisine, 2013 · Jessica B. Harris, High on the Hog: A Culinary Journey from Africa to America, 2011
Alvin Ailey · Charactorium