Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Molasses Cake
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 batter
Warm the butter and cream it.
Add molasses, baking soda, and ginger; beat until foamy.
Pour in boiling water and mix well.
Gradually add flour and mix until combined.
Finally, add the egg and mix until smooth.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven 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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 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
- Dark molasses
- Provides the dark color, rich sweetness and moisture that define the cake.
- Butter or drippings
- Adds fat for tenderness and a rich flavor to the crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that lifts and lightens the cake.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the starch and gluten structure that holds the cake together.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure and richness as it sets during baking.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda to the molasses. Baking soda must react with the acidic molasses and then be set by the oven's heat. Pouring in the boiling water too early or delaying the bake can leave the cake flat or dense.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, butter, flour, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, butter, flour, egg. 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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