1. A simple cornmeal cake or bread baked in hot ashes, traditionally made by Native Americans and early American settlers.
Usage: plural form; often used in historical or regional contexts; also called ash cake or ashcake (singular)

Examples

• The pioneers prepared ashcakes by wrapping cornmeal dough in leaves and burying it in hot coals.
• Ashcakes were a staple food for travelers and soldiers during the colonial period.
• Native American tribes made ashcakes as a portable, long-lasting food source.
• The recipe for ashcakes requires only cornmeal, water, and salt.
• Historical accounts describe ashcakes as an economical way to cook bread without an oven.