Cheesy Herb Corn Cakes
Cheddar and dried herbs in a skillet corn cake, mixed dry at home and cooked in one pan at camp.
- calories
- 260
- weight
- 2.6 oz
- cal / oz
- 100
- protein
- 8 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- 180 ml cold
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Vegetarian
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Self-rising yellow cornmeal | 1 1/4 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Buttermilk powder | 3 tbsp | replaces 3/4 cup fresh buttermilk |
| Sour cream powder | 2 tbsp | stands in for 1/4 cup sour cream |
| Powdered whole egg | 2 tbsp | equals one egg |
| Freeze-dried shredded cheddar | 3/4 cup | or 2 oz of hard cheddar, grated at camp |
| Dried thyme | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried sage | 1/2 tsp | |
| Kosher salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Vegetable oil | 2 tbsp | for the pan |
Method
- Put the dry mix in a pot or wide bowl and add about 180 ml of cold water. Stir until it is a thick batter that falls off the spoon in clumps, not a pour.
- Let it sit five minutes. The powdered dairy and egg need that time to rehydrate or you get grit.
- Set a skillet over the fire grate or a stove on low, add the oil, and let it get hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles.
- Spoon in batter in rounds about three inches wide. Do not crowd them.
- Cook four to five minutes a side. The edges go dry and the underside goes deep brown before you flip.
- Pull them out and wipe the pan while it is still warm.
This started as cornstick pan cornbread, baked at 450 in a preheated cast iron mold. No oven on a trip, so it becomes griddle cakes: same batter, same ratios, cooked flat in a skillet. Self-rising cornmeal already has the leavening and the acid from the buttermilk activates it, so the cakes rise on the pan instead of in an oven.
The fresh stuff is the part that had to change. Buttermilk, sour cream, and egg all come as powders and rehydrate fine if you give the batter five minutes to sit. Keep the batter thick. Thin batter spreads and burns before the middle sets, and the cheese is what browns the outside, so a hot pan and a slow flip matter more than the timer.
Packing
Cornmeal, buttermilk powder, sour cream powder, egg powder, herbs, and salt go in one bag at home. Freeze-dried cheese in a second bag so it stays crisp. Oil in a leakproof bottle.
Variations
- Skip the cheese and the powdered dairy and it becomes a plain hoecake to eat with chili.
- A pinch of cayenne or a spoon of chopped dried jalapeno cuts the richness.
- In a dutch oven you can bake the batter as one pan of cornbread instead, about 20 minutes with coals on the lid.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/cheesy-herb-cornsticks