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Presidents/Rutherford B. Hayes

AT THE TABLE WITH RUTHERFORD B. HAYES

Honey-butter hoecakes

A golden start to the republic.

Breakfast25 minServes 4
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Honey-butter hoecakes — the black-and-white years
The black-and-white years · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

Cornmeal cakes at the White House breakfast table

More about Rutherford B. Hayes →

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.

Serves 4

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt together. In a second bowl beat the egg with the milk and melted butter.

  2. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Rest for 5 minutes; add a splash of milk if too thick to spoon.

  3. 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.

  4. Mash the serving butter with the honey. Serve on the hot cakes.

Cooking notes

Baking powder lets you mix and cook the batter without an overnight rise.

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.