Canadian style Johnny Cake is a cornmeal cake, typically served hot topped with maple syrup and butter. As this is a very lightly sweet cake, it is suitable plain as a side for chili, too!
1cupcake and pastry flour, sifted first, then measured *see Note 1 for using all purpose flour
4teaspoonsbaking powder
1/2teaspoonfine salt
1/3cupbrown sugar, light or dark, lightly packed
1cupyellow cornmeal
7/8cupmilk, 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp
1largeegg
1/2teaspoonvanilla
3Tablespoonsshortening, melted and slightly cooled or same amount of vegetable/canola oil
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Instructions
Preheat oven to 400F (not convection bake). Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan and set aside.
Sift the flour and then measure. Sift together with the baking powder and salt into a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the brown sugar and cornmeal.
In a small bowl, beat together the milk, egg, vanilla and melted shortening. (Shortening may solidify a bit, but that's ok). Add this mixture all at once to the flour mixture and mix just until well combined.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden and the edges have pulled away from the sides of the pan.
Cut into squares and serve hot with maple syrup and butter.
Notes
1. Pastry flour is also sometimes labelled as "Cake and Pastry Flour". It is a soft protein flour. If you don't have pastry flour on hand, here is a substitute ...Homemade Pastry Flour: add 2 tsp cornstarch to a 1 cup dry measuring cup, then spoon fill and level with stirred all purpose flour.Nutritional information provided does not include topping with maple syrup and butter.