A hotcake is simply another word for a pancake: a flat, round cake made from batter and cooked on a hot griddle or frying pan. The name comes from the fact that they're cooked quickly on a hot surface, and they're best eaten while still warm.

You'll often hear hotcakes mentioned in the expression selling like hotcakes, which means something is being bought or taken very quickly. If a new video game is selling like hotcakes, it means everyone wants it and stores can barely keep it in stock.

Some restaurants, especially old-fashioned diners, still use the word hotcakes on their menus instead of pancakes. Whether you call them hotcakes, pancakes, or flapjacks, you're talking about the same breakfast treat: a fluffy, round cake of cooked batter, usually topped with butter and syrup.