Cornbread Pancakes
You’ll be flipping over these breakfast cakes, they are so flavorful. No matter what you call them Hoe Cakes or Cornbread Pancakes, served sweet or savory according to your taste buds.
Cornmeal is used in a variety of ways, and I love it in almost any array of baked goods including cornbread made with home-crafted honey butter.
A highly accessible grain in America, it was the “flour” of choice, and in the south, it was a staple. Some believe the name Hoe Cake came from the idea of cooking corn cakes right on the back of a Hoe over hot coals, making it a convenient food for people working in the fields. Others say its roots are in mid-1600 England, where the word Hoe was synonymous with griddle.
Whatever, the real story is, they are delicious and can be eaten savory or sweet, which means no one’s cravings are left out. With my addition of whole pieces of corn, they are perfectly seasoned and moist, with the buttermilk giving them a little tang. And unlike their heavier historical counterpart, they are light and fluffy!
To begin, in a medium bowl, add your cornmeal, flour, Baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir well to combine.
Next, melt your butter – this can be done in a microwave or on a stovetop.
In a separate small bowl mix your buttermilk with egg and butter which has been cooled. It’s important that your butter isn’t hot as that could cook your egg. Mix with a spatula and pour the wet mixture into your dry ingredients.
Lastly, stir in corn. (if you don’t prefer corn leave it out) I happen to love corn in this recipe.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat.
Add a little butter and then place a heaping 3 tablespoon size scoop into the pan and spread it gently with the back of the scoop.
Heat until the edges are bubbly and the underside is becoming golden, then flip the pancake and finish cooking.
Transfer each pancake to a holding plate and continue making the other pancakes.
I made 4 large pancakes, but you can make them smaller if desired.
Once finished, serve with butter and syrup for a sweet version or sour cream and green onion with salt and pepper for a savory taste.
What else can I add to these to change up the flavor?
For some smokey flavor add a 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, for some garlicky flavor add in some fresh or dry garlic start with 1/2 teaspoon minced or paste or 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder. If you like spice add in a 1/2 diced jalapeno, and if you want some more added flavor for some savory options add in some cooked chopped bacon and green onions. If you’re all into the sweetness, add in a teaspoon of sugar, honey, or maple syrup into the mix other fun options are chopped walnuts or pecans. Tope them with blueberry syrup for a fun flavor option.
Can I replace the butter with oil?
Yes, you can. I’d recommend using avocado oil (it’s my favorite) but Canola or vegetable oil, something with a mild flavor will work too.
Do these keep well?
These are better served fresh. Though they can be kept for a day or two – they will become dried out. An airtight container is your best bet, alternately a Ziplock bag.
I really love the idea of this recipe, but I can’t eat dairy, what are my options?
It’s quite easy to replace the eggs and the buttermilk.
- You can replace one egg with a ¼ cup applesauce or view some more options here!
- Buttermilk has a noticeable tang and is part of the reason these pancakes are so moist. However, if you need to replace it with a non-dairy option you can use 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar in 1 cup of soy milk.
Note: The same can be done with whole milk – 1 cup + 1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar
Could I use this mix in a waffle iron?
I would use this recipe for a savory waffle instead, leaving out the savory components if a sweet option is desired.
And I just wanted to mention I just love this new whisk (this whisk is flat and it’s great for hand mixing the batter, from pancake to cake batter I’ve used it so much in the last few months and keep finding new uses for it)
I really liked these corn pancakes with sour cream and green onions, let me know what you like on them best in the comments!
Get my other pancake recipe here.
Cornbread Pancakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 cup corn frozen, fresh, or leftover pre-cooked
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl mix the buttermilk with egg and melted butter with a spatula, then pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture.
- Stir in the corn.
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add a little butter and then place a heaping 3 tablespoon size scoop into the pan and spread it gently with the back of the scoop.
- Heat until the edges are bubbly, then flip the pancake and finish cooking on the other side.
- Transfer each pancake to a holding plate.
- Then make the other pancakes.
- I made 4 large pancakes, you can make them smaller if desired.
- Serve with butter and syrup for a sweet version or sour cream and green onion with salt and pepper for a savory taste.
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