Hot cakes have long been a popular food staple from earliest times in America. They were first made with cornmeal and fried in pork lard.
They were so popular with regular folks that griddle cakes or pancakes were always served piping hot and were oftentimes sold at church benefits, fairs, and other functions to raise money for community projects.
Selling hot cakes was an easy sell to an eager public and soon, anything that sold in great numbers and with little effort was said to sell like hot cakes.
Historically Speaking 