My mom was raised by nuns in a convent school in Quebec, and the weekly menu never varied. Wednesday's dinner fare was always "Pea Soup and Johnnycake",and the little girls coined a phrase to express their disappointment in the monotony: "Pea Soup and Johnnycake makes my Belly Ache!" But the Johnnycake I remember my mom serving (usually with split pea soup) when I was a child was moist and delicious, with a crispy top. (BTW traditional Johnnycake is never made as muffins, which may be why you thought yours was somewhat dry. It is always made in an 8-inch square baking pan, like cornbread.)

I still have my mom's old Fanny Farmer Cookbook (1942 edition), and here is the recipe she used:

Johnnycake

Mix:
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup white corn meal

Gradually stir in:
1 cup scalded milk

Spread into a buttered shallow pan. Dot with butter, cut in small bits.

Bake at 350 degrees until crisp on top.