January 16, 1912

Flo's Diary:

Up at 12 Nell gets breakfast of sourdough hotcakes. I wash dishes, scrub tables, clean up in general–even mop the floor. While cracking nuts, Lewis comes–helps and asks me out to dinner for Friday night. Fox phoned me to go skating declined. Drury and Morrow come to help with "johnny cake" and Morrow salad–good. Flashlights bear rug. picture show wash dishes and talk till 12. Great time-tired.

Original Johnny Cake came about in the South before the Civil War.

These cakes were made from white cornmeal and had no eggs, sugar, or syrup! They were fried on a hot cast iron pan in bacon drippings. The true Johnny cake recipe is nothing more than

White Corn Meal
salt
boiling water
bacon drippings

A more modern recipe:

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup white sugar

1 1/3 cups cake flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Grease thoroughly an 8 inch square cake pan.

Combine cornmeal and milk. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together the egg and milk.

Cream shortening, and blend in sugar.

Stir flour mixture and egg mixture alternately into creamed mixture alternately.

Blend in cornmeal mixture.

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot, with maple syrup.