Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Ginger Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, molasses, cinnamon, melted butter, hot water, and baking soda until a soft dough forms.
Refrigerate the dough until it is very cold.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough to about 1 inch thick on a floured surface.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) until done.
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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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 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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Molasses + cinnamontop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,928 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ginger + molassestop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together and sets as it bakes.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and rich sweetness with a deep flavor.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and richness in the dough.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that helps the cakes rise.
- Ginger
- Supplies the warm, spicy aroma that defines the cake.
The step that matters
Refrigerate the dough until very cold. A cold, firm dough is easier to roll to an even thickness and holds its shape better in the oven. Soft, warm dough spreads and bakes unevenly.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, molasses, cinnamon, butter):
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovefits better
- Allspicefits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, molasses, cinnamon, butter. 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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