grit cake – This cheesy, crunchy, heart-filling Southern comfort food is a dish the whole family will enjoy. It’s perfect for breakfast, a side dish, or an appetizer, and it’s easy to make. Best of all, the materials are simple and economical.
As you know, I’m a big fan of Southern soul food recipes, and this one is no exception. Grit cake is a must when having a big Southern-style breakfast. And to be honest, I love serving them as allies. fried chicken or fried catfish.
The diversity of grit cake recipes doesn’t stop there. There are a million ways to dress up these delicious little cakes to make them as fancy or flavorful as you want.
What is grit cake?
Grit cake is basically grits that are cooked, cooled, cut into small circles (other shapes are perfectly fine), and fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Plus, topping your grit cake with shrimp, ham, bacon, eggs, or other protein makes it even more filling.
Ingredient list
- grits – I like the rich flavor of corn, so I use stone-ground grits, but instant or quick-cook grits or even polenta will work just fine.
- bay leaves – Try adding multiple flavors. One of them is this aromatic herb.
- butter – Gives the grits a rich, moist, buttery flavor inside and out. Use butter for cooking and fry grit cakes.
- egg – The egg wash gives the cake a beautiful golden color.
- cheddar – Sharp cheddar cheese is recommended for this recipe, but feel free to add your favorite cheese.
- shrimp or ham – Shrimp is my favorite topping for grit cake. Not only do the flavors and textures come together beautifully, but they also look so pretty with the shrimp on top (they fit perfectly!). 😉
How to make fried grit cake
cook the grits
- preparation – Coat a 9-by-12-inch cooking pan with baking spray. Let’s set it aside.
- heat the liquid – Add water, milk, bay leaf, and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. (Photo 1)
- addition grits – Gradually whisk in the grits until all of them are added to the pot.
- boil – Reduce the heat to low and let the grits boil, covered and stirring frequently, until the water is fully absorbed and the grits have thickened. This will take approximately 15 minutes.
- addition cheese – Then remove the grits from the heat. Add butter and cheese. Stir with a whisk until the cheese is completely melted. (Photos 2-3)
- spread Remove the hot grits onto the prepared baking sheet and use an offset rubber spatula to spread evenly across the bottom of the pan. Let sheet pan cool to room temperature. (Photo 4)
- cover Wrap in foil and refrigerate until very firm, about 2 hours to overnight.
fry grit cake
- heat skillet – When you are ready to fry the chilled grits, heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- cut Shape the abrasive grains into a circle of desired size. (Photo 5)
- egg wash – Whisk the eggs in a small dish and brush over the grit cake. (Photo 6)
- fry Bake the cake until golden brown on both sides, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. When flipping the grit cake, don’t forget to brush the other side of the grit cake with egg wash. (Photo 7)
- serve Serve immediately with shrimp or ham. (Photo 8)
Flavor variations
- sweet. Believe it or not, you can make grit cake desserts (or sweet breakfast treats!). When making grits, omit the bay leaf and cheese and add a dash of vanilla extract, 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of your favorite dried fruit, and 1 cup of chopped nuts. Fry as directed and top with crushed graham crackers and caramel sauce if desired. 😋
- grit cake benedict This is also a classic way of making a cake. Just follow the recipe and top the cake with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. delicious!
- cheesy grits. Although we’re already enjoying cheese in this recipe, you can also top your hot grits cake with shredded cheese to make it even more indulgent.
recipe notes
- When mixing the grits, do not stop stirring. In fact, you may want to take the pan off the heat for a minute or two to really mix the milk and grits together. This will prevent lumps from forming.
- A cookie cutter makes it super easy to cut grits into circles. This time I made it using a 2 inch one.
- Do not fry grit cake over medium heat. It may take a little longer to reach a beautiful golden color, but if you increase the heat, the butter will burn and lose much of its flavor.
How to prepare and store
Make the grits in advance, spread them out in the prepared pan, and refrigerate for 3 days before frying. This is a huge benefit for all of you who love making pre-cooked meals. 🤩
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Store toppings separately and assemble leftovers when ready to serve.
I prefer to reheat in the oven, airfryer, or countertop toaster oven. For me, reheating something fried is the best way to get the crispiness back. That said, it’s perfectly fine to reheat grit cake in the microwave.
FAQ
Of course, you can also make a grit cake. If you make regular grits and have leftovers, reuse them by spreading them in a shallow baking dish and frying them as directed.
pretty. Grits are made from white corn (or hominy) and polenta is made from yellow corn, so although they are different colors, they are both ground corn and can usually be used interchangeably.
Again, both are ground corn, but cornmeal is a finer powder than grits. Cornmeal can be used in place of grits in most recipes, but the texture of the dish will be much smoother than using grits.
Perfect combination with grit cake
When I make grit cake as a dinner accompaniment, I usually pair it with: oven fried chicken and collard greens or Southern fried catfish and green beans and bacon.
If I’m making grit cake for breakfast, I love serving it with either. sweet plantain hash and eggs Or traditional American breakfast items, fried eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits. 🤤
More satisfying grits recipes to try
- fish and grits
- Cajun Shrimp & Grits
- Southern style smoked gouda grits
- basic grits
- cheese grits
by Imma
See how to make
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”EQ6VR3l6″ upload-date=”2022-06-14T15:09:19.000Z” name=”GRITS CAKE.mp4″ description=”Grit Cakes are cheesy, crunchy, soul-satisfying Southern comfort food your whole family will enjoy for breakfast, a side dish, or an appetizer” player-type=”collapse” override-embed=”false”]
This blog post was originally published in June 2022 and updated with additional tips, new photos, and videos.
