Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Molasses Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, and egg until well combined.
Add the molasses, sour milk, and baking soda; mix well.
Gradually stir in the sifted flour and spices to taste.
Fold in the chopped raisins.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake for about 30-35 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Butter and flour 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it sets.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
- Egg
- Binds the ingredients and helps give the cake structure.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a deep, slightly bitter sweetness.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses to produce gas that leavens the batter.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda with the sour milk. Baking soda needs an acid to react and release carbon dioxide. Mixing it in with the sour milk and molasses lets the reaction start in the batter, so the cake rises well. Baking promptly after mixing keeps that gas in the batter.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, butter, molasses, milk, flour):
- Raisinthe original
- Vanillafits about as well
- Figfits less well
- Peachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, butter, molasses, milk, flour. 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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