Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Ginger Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix the shortening and sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs, molasses, and thick milk; mix well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure as the cake sets in the oven.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries the ginger flavor.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and the characteristic rich, sweet flavor.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and thick milk to help the cake rise.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a soft, creamed texture when beaten with the shortening.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding flour in portions and stirring until just smooth keeps the batter evenly mixed and prevents lumps. Overmixing after the flour goes in can develop gluten and make the cake tough.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, molasses, milk, sugar, flour, cinnamon, clove):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, molasses, milk, sugar, flour, cinnamon, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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