Johnny Blaze Cakes

We drove on Johnny Cake Road in Apple Valley on our way to a quilt shop with Mom several years ago. She sang us the song:

Come girls, come, and listen to my noise.

Don't you marry the Mormon boys.

If you do, your fortune it will be,

Johnny cakes and babies will be all you'll see.

Here's the thing: I married a Mormon boy. So far I've seen no babies, and this is the first batch of Johnny cakes. Go figure. It may be far batter if there were a few more of both.

The batter is pretty lumpy and thick.

In Vegan Soul Kitchen, where I found this recipe, the Johnny cakes were perfectly round. He said to shape then with a wooden spoon. The results were wildly different when I tried it. It must be my spoon....

They are nice for variety, but I am glad they aren't the only thing besides babies that I have around.

Johnny Blaze Cakes

1 1/2 cups cornmeal

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or all purpose flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

2 1/2 cups boiling milk (the original recipe called for unflavored rice milk)

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne. Set aside. Boil the milk in the microwave or in a saucepan. Add the milk to the flour mixture, stirring as you pour. Add the jalapeno and mix well. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Grease a large skillet on heat to meduim-high. Add 1/4 cup of batter to the skillet per cake. A large skillet should hold 3-4 cakes.

After about 1 minute, shape each cake with a wooden spoon (hah) so they are 3 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the cakes for 8-10 minutes per side, adding more oil after turning, until they are golden brown and crispy. Transfer the cooked cakes to the oven to keep the cakes warm until all the cakes are cooked.