These little flat cakes were originally cooked on the griddle or girdle irons which gave them their names. Today, they are cooked on a griddle iron or hotplate or in a frying pan. Griddle cakes can be sweet or savoury and eaten at any meal or as a snack during the day. They are usually based on a batter mixture of varying thickness, according to the type of griddle cake being made.
There are as many varieties of griddle cakes as there are different types of flour or meal – Russian Blini are made with buckwheat flour, Scottish Oatmeal Bannocks and Australian Pikelets with refined wheat flour. Each is a type of griddle cake.
When you cook griddle cakes, make sure the iron, hotplate or frying pan is hot enough. Test by sprinkling the heated surface with a few drops of water; if the drops dance, the heat is right, and if they splatter and break up, it is too hot. The iron can be greased or not, depending on the recipe and batter mixture.
See also Pancakes; Flapjacks.