A Johnny Cake is a type of sweetened bread made from cornmeal. It is flat in shape and is very much similar to a pancake. Its sweet taste is liked by people of all age groups and it is an easy to make cake. A Johnny Cake is also called Johny Cake, jonikin, mush bread and Shawnee cake.
A Johnny Cake recipe is said to have originated from North America. It used to be a staple food for early Americans and was very popular from Newfoundland to Jamaica. A jonikin is still eaten by people in West Indies, United States and Bermuda.
The modern variation of Johnny Cake is popular in New England and is said to have its origin in Rhode Island. The recipe of this mush bread uses salt as the main ingredient for its preparation. It is also known as hoecake in Southern United States.
A Johnny Cake is easy to make and the ingredients used are easily available. The traditional version of Johnny Cake makes use of corn, salt, sugar and water. The new or the modern version however, uses milk, flour, eggs and many other cake ingredients. The toppings for Johny Cake are usually made in different ways.
For making a Johnny Cake, sugar and salt are mixed with cornmeal. Water is added to make a thick batter and then it is transferred to a greased griddle. The contents are fried till the color becomes pale brown. The bread is then flipped to cook the other side as well. After cooking evenly on both sides, a topping mostly made of maple syrup and butter is put and the cake is served hot. Jam and many other spreads are also used for the topping in Johnny Cake recipe. A Johny Cake can be relished with both cold and hot beverages.
A Johnny Cake can be easily made with few variations in its recipe. Instead of adding sugar, molasses or honey can be used for sweetening the bread. Yellow and white cornmeal both can be used for the preparation of a jonikin. The mush bread can also be served with cream and fresh fruit topping. This cake can be rolled and relished with some interesting filling.
Australians refer to Johnny Cake as bread made by flour and not cornmeal. The cakes are either baked on fire or are fried in a skillet.
In Dominican Republic, a Johny Cake is known as YaYaniquequesor yanikeke. These breads are deep fried and are popular as beach snacks. Flour is used with water and baking for a Johnny Cake recipe here.
A Johnny Cake can be easily made while moving and is also sometimes referred as a journey cake. Though, the name journey cake is not a suggested name for this sweet bread.