14 lardy cake recipes

Cornmeal pancakes with a sweet, nutty flavor and tender crumb. A one-bowl batter you stir, pour, and griddle until the tops bubble. Stack them with syrup, fresh fruit, or chocolate sauce for an old-fashioned Southern breakfast.

These are hotcakes from the isle of Cape Breton in Nova Scotia.

Dutch-style icebox spice cookies with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a brown sugar dough enriched with butter, lard and sour cream. Slice-and-bake rolls keep weeks in the fridge for instant warm cookies.

Crisp cornmeal waffles loaded with crumbled bacon and rendered bacon fat for shattering edges and smoky flavor. Yellow cornmeal gives serious bite while a quick milk-vinegar buttermilk softens the crumb.

Old-fashioned whole wheat brown bread with brown sugar, sour milk, and lard. A dense, hearty no-yeast quick bread with just 7 ingredients and one bowl.

Old-fashioned brown bread made with whole wheat flour, brown sugar, sour milk, and lard. Mix everything in one bowl and bake. No yeast, no kneading, no waiting.

Old-fashioned oatmeal icebox cookies made with brown sugar, lard, butter, and buttermilk. Slice-and-bake dough that chills overnight for thin, crispy oat cookies.

Old-fashioned fruit cookies with brown sugar, raisins, nuts, cinnamon, and sour milk. Kneaded like bread and rolled thin for crisp, spiced cookies. A heritage recipe worth reviving.

Old-fashioned Canadian jam jam cookies: oatmeal and brown sugar rounds sandwiched around a homemade date filling. A prairie-farmhouse classic with a soft, chewy bite.

Date cookies with chopped dates, nuts, brown sugar, and cream of tartar in a slice-and-bake dough. Mix at night, chill overnight, slice and bake fresh in the morning.

Old-fashioned rolled honey cookies with lard, sour cream, and warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. A heritage recipe with a soft, cake-like texture and deep honey flavor.

Old-fashioned fruit cookies made with lard, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a full cup of chopped dates or raisins. A pantry-friendly farmhouse drop cookie from a pre-butter era.

Dense, moist Shaker chocolate pound cake made with butter, lard, cocoa, and grated chocolate baked in a tube pan. Fill the center with whipped cream and shaved chocolate for a stunning finish.

Cornbread chili is a one-skillet tamale-pie cousin: ground beef simmered with cumin, oregano, and tomato concasse, then crowned with a buttermilk cornmeal crust and baked golden.