Amazing Johnny Cakes
- Marcellina Douglas
- Aug 14, 2017
- 2 min read
If you live in the Virgin Islands, every family has their own Johnny Cake recipe. They're usually passed down generation to generation and often times you may have some families who keep recipes to themselves and not share the food wealth. My family is one of those who doesn't always share recipes, so I never got a good Johnny Cake recipe passed on to me. Thank God for friends who become family, and thanks to my great friend Jamaal, I now have a GREAT recipe. His grandmother taught him this recipe and I'm not really sure if he's informed her that he's passed it on to me but I'm so grateful that he did.
Now this recipe is going to be a little bit weird because Jamaal has never given me exact measurements, as most Caribbean recipes goes by "eye measurement." So I'm going to do my best to provide you with the closest measurements to achieve these delicious golden cakes. Here's what you'll need
Flour
Baking Powder
Salt
Sugar
Shortening
Evaporated Milk (12oz. can)
Warm water
In a bowl combine all your dry ingredients. Add shortening to dry ingredients and with clean hands work shortening into mixture until you see what looks like small peas. Create a well in the middle of your mixture and add your evaporated milk. working you way from the inside, combine flour into the milk. Add warm water to your mixture a tablespoon at a time and knead until your dough starts to take on a "play-doh" consistency. If you add to much water, sprinkle flour of your mixture until you've created the right consistency. (Trust your instincts) Cover your dough and allow to rest 15-20 minutes, take this time and heat your frying oil.
Uncover and cut dough into four pieces. Cut each section into smaller pieces and roll into small balls.
On a floured surface, roll each ball into a disk about 1/4 inch thick.
Fry, turning occasionally until golden.
Love Always,
Nina
