The nineteenth president and Lucy Hayes brought an Ohio chapter to the White House.
Family or White House tradition
Hayes family recipe collections and breakfast accounts point to cornmeal battercakes. Milk, egg and baking powder make a tender modern batter; cook small cakes for a crisp rim.
The president & the table
Presidential culinary collections describe delicate cornmeal battercakes as a recurring breakfast during the Hayes years. The Hayes family’s preserved recipe tradition includes corn breads, cakes and fritters, making cornmeal a stronger starting point than a generic presidential dessert.
Behind this story
Hayes Presidential Library family corn recipes; presidential culinary collections.
APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.
Make it at home.
Our home adaptation · Serves 4 · Not yet kitchen-tested
What you’ll need
Let’s make it
Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt together. In a second bowl beat the egg with the milk and melted butter.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Rest for 5 minutes; add a splash of milk if too thick to spoon.
Warm a lightly greased skillet over medium heat. Use 2 tablespoons of batter per cake and cook for 2–3 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through.
Mash the serving butter with the honey. Serve on the hot cakes.
About this home version
A quick baking-powder batter replaces an overnight fermented batter.
Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.
