Classic Southern Hoecakes
Four humble ingredients make these crisp-edged, tender-centered cornmeal cakes fried in bacon drippings. Serve them hot with butter, syrup, or alongside greens and beans.
- Prep
- 8 min
- Cook
- 24 min
- Wait
- 5 min
- Total
- 37 min
- Makes
- 8 hoecakes (about 3½ inches / 9 cm each)
Steps
Before you start
- Use fine or medium-grind cornmeal (not coarse polenta or grits); fine meal absorbs the hot water best.
- Bring the water to a full boil just before you mix. Lukewarm water gives gritty, crumbly cakes.
- Bacon drippings should be liquid but not smoking. Strain out any burnt bits if needed.
- A well-seasoned cast-iron skillet gives the crispiest edges.
- Plan on about 35–40 minutes from start to finish; the cakes are fried in 3 batches (3, 3, and 2 cakes).
Set up warming stationOven 200°F / 95°C
- Heat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and place it in the oven.
- Line a plate with paper towels.
- Put about 1¼ cups (300 ml) water on to boil so you have at least 1⅛ cups (270 ml) boiling water.
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Ready when: Water is at a full rolling boil.
Tip: Skip the oven if serving straight from the pan, but cakes lose crispness quickly when stacked.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1½ cups (210 g) cornmeal and ¾ tsp salt until evenly combined.
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Ready when: No streaks of salt remain.
Scald the cornmeal
- Pour the 1⅛ cups (270 ml) boiling water and 1½ tbsp (21 g) melted bacon drippings over the cornmeal.
- Stir immediately with a spoon until no dry pockets remain.
- The batter will look thick, like loose mashed potatoes, and will total about 2 cups (480 ml).
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Ready when: Batter is thick, smooth, and no dry cornmeal is visible.
Tip: Pour the water while it is still boiling; this is what makes the cakes tender rather than gritty.
Rest the batter
- Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
- The cornmeal will absorb the water and swell.
- If it becomes stiff enough to hold a firm mound, stir in 1–2 tbsp more hot tap water to get a thick but scoopable batter that slowly spreads when dropped.
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Ready when: Batter is thick, scoopable, and slowly spreads when dropped from a spoon.
Heat the skillet
- Set a 12-inch (30 cm) skillet over medium heat.
- Add 1 tbsp (14 g) of the frying drippings and tilt to coat.
- Heat for about 2 minutes.
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Ready when: A drop of batter sizzles gently on contact; the fat shimmers but does not smoke.
Tip: If the fat smokes, lower the heat and wait a minute; cakes will burn before they cook through.
Fry first side
- Scoop ¼ cup (60 ml) batter per cake into the skillet, making 3 cakes in the first batch with space between.
- Flatten each gently with the back of a spoon or spatula to about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick and 3½ inches (9 cm) wide.
- Cook 3–4 minutes without moving them.
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Ready when: Edges look dry and lacy-crisp, and the underside is deep golden brown when you peek with a spatula.
Tip: Don't flip early; an underdone cake will tear and stick.
Flip and finish
- Flip each cake with a wide spatula and cook another 2–3 minutes.
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Ready when: Both sides are golden brown with crisp edges, and the center feels firm when pressed.
Cook remaining batchesOven 200°F / 95°C
- Move finished cakes to the rack in the warm oven.
- For each remaining batch, wipe out any burnt bits with a paper towel, add 1 tbsp (14 g) drippings to the skillet, and heat 30 seconds.
- Stir the batter, then fry as before: 3–4 minutes on the first side and 2–3 minutes on the second.
- Make 3 cakes in batch 2 and the final 2 cakes in batch 3, for 8 cakes total (about 7–8 minutes per batch).
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Ready when: All 8 cakes are crisp and golden on both sides.
Tip: If the batter stiffens as it sits, stir in a teaspoon of hot water.
Serve hot
- Serve immediately, while the edges are still crisp, with butter, syrup, or honey, or alongside collard greens and beans.
Good to know
Tips
- Keep the cakes about ½ inch thick; thinner ones turn brittle and thicker ones stay pasty inside.
- Medium heat is key: too hot burns the outside, too cool makes them greasy.
- For a lacier edge, use a little extra drippings in each batch.
- Make a double batch and freeze extras for quick sides.
Make ahead
Mix the dry ingredients up to 1 week ahead and keep covered. The batter itself is best made fresh, as it thickens and dries out on standing. Fried hoecakes can be made a few hours ahead and recrisped.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 2 hours. Fridge: airtight up to 3 days. Freezer: separate with parchment, freeze up to 2 months. Reheat in a lightly greased skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes per side, or in a 375°F (190°C) oven for 8–10 minutes until crisp.
Substitutions
- bacon drippings → lard, or neutral oil with a pat of butter. Lard is closest in flavor; with oil you lose the smoky bacon taste.
- bacon drippings → melted butter. Gives a milder, richer flavor.
- fine yellow or white cornmeal → stone-ground medium cornmeal. Gives a more rustic, crunchier texture; add 1–2 tbsp extra hot water.
- water → boiling milk. Softer, slightly sweeter cakes that brown faster, so watch the heat.
