Okay, this is my favorite recipe, and one of the most requested, so let me explain how ‘Sun Cakes’ came to be.
Cush Cush/ Couche Couche is a cajun breakfast/supper food made of cornmeal fried in a skillet with bacon drippings (or oil). The cornmeal batter sizzles and crisps, and is turned over and broken up unto a warm, crisped crumble that can be served as a side but most interestingly (to me) served with milk and honey. As a Black Southerner with family from the Bama/NOLA regions, this deeply rooted recipe called to me when I first heard of it.
Hoecakes are also a standard corn-based Southern Black skillet recipe that led me to Couche Couche in the first place, as I was re-learning how to make them for myself; hoecakes were one of the few foods my mother made that I genuinely missed, and I was trying to find out how to make them without resorting to boxed biscuit mix. I wanted something healthier, and more connected to the food’s origins.
On the way, I discovered the early Afro-Am origins of these foods, and was inspired, as the traditionalist I often am, to walk my taste memory of my mother’s floury, dense, processed hoecakes back to something more corn-based and fundamental.
But also, I wanted to add fruit.
Thus, Sun Cakes were born- a Summery, sunny, corn and millet based recipe that makes use of seasonal produce. Initially made in a skillet, I have also adapted them to the oven for a lighter, less oily version. Both are good, it just depends on what you want and what works best for your body. These cakes are a Summer-y to early Fall food in my household, making use of Summer crops like ephemeral peaches & strawberries (that love going bad the moment you look away) and sweet corn. Being a blend of Couche-Couche ad a Hoecake, these are cooked whole then served in milk to be crumbled by the eater.* The flavors of corn and fruit with milk and honey puts sugary boxed cereals in their place, serving as a strong reminder of what such foods replaced. These cakes are sweet and warm with a savory touch and can be served as-is or paired with a vegetable sausage for a nourishing, soul-feeding breakfast or brunch.
*However, as I write this I am thinking of adapting the recipe and experimenting with it as a thinner pour. If you’d like to try that out, simply add more milk and turn the frying batter while it is browning in the skillet.
The recipe below is approximate as I am a great cook but a poor record keeper and generally measure out everything by feel. I have done my best, however, to translate my actions so they can be shared. I hope you can make these easy, delicious cakes for you and your loved ones!
Read recipe in full on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/57603623
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