The following recipe and excerpt for Hoecakes are from “Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table” by Ellen Kanner. It’s available for purchase at Walmart.
Primal, economical, and belly-filling, hoecakes are corn cakes at their simplest. They’re crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. They’re not fluffy, they’re not fritters, they’re not fancy. They’re not meant to be. But humble as they are, they inspire passion. As Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn notes, “There ain’t nothing in the world so good when it’s cooked right.”
Serve with your favorite jam or vegan butter or plain with a pinch of sea salt, but get ‘em while they’re hot, right out of the skillet.
Hoecakes
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine cornmeal and salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Slowly pour in boiling water in a stream, stirring constantly until the batter is thick but without lumps. It’ll look a little like scrambled eggs.
- Set aside for at least 10 minutes to let the batter coalesce.
- Meanwhile, heat skillet, preferably cast iron, over high heat until hot. Pour in one tablespoon of oil. When it starts to shimmer, drop in dollops of hoecake batter, about a tablespoon each, and spread to make 4-inch rounds.
- Cook 2 to 3 minutes; then flip and cook for another few minutes. Hoecakes should be golden brown, crispy, and a little lacy at the edges. Add more oil as needed to the skillet for the remaining batter.
- Serve at once with a final sprinkle of sea salt.
Excerpted from Miami Vegan: Plant-Based Recipes from the Tropics to Your Table by Ellen Kanner. Copyright © 2025. Published by LCIX Editions. Photographs © 2025 by Kathleen Ballard Photography.
