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Gingerbread Pancakes I

A sweet pancake batter flavored with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses, cooked on a griddle.

From the Wikibooks Cookbook · 14 ingredients
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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 ↓

Gingerbread Pancakes I

8 ea. 4-inch pancakes
Time2–3 minutes per side

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Heat a large non‑stick skillet or griddle over low heat while preparing ingredients.

  2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Whisk ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves into the dry ingredients.

  3. Combine buttermilk and milk, and bring to room temperature by microwaving or heating gently on the stove. Whisk egg, butter, vanilla, and molasses into the milk mixture.

Make the batter

  1. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed.

  2. Return batter to measuring cup, stirring in a teaspoon or two of water if necessary to make a thick, but pourable batter.

Cook and serve

  1. Increase heat to medium and generously brush skillet or griddle with oil.

  2. When oil starts to spider, but before it starts to smoke, pour batter, about ¼ cup at a time. Work in batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding.

  3. When pancake bottoms are golden brown and tops start to bubble (2–3 minutes), flip pancakes. Cook until pancakes are golden brown on the remaining side.

  4. Repeat, brushing skillet or griddle with oil. Serve hot.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

988Calories
28 gProtein
40 gFat
127 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Cloves1 tsp ground (2g)7
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Wikibooks Cookbook.

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

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.

  1. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  2. Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,380 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  3. Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,721 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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 starch structure that holds the pancake together as it sets.
Buttermilk
Adds acidity and moisture, tenderizing the batter and reacting with the leavening.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to release gas, helping the pancakes rise.
Egg
Binds the batter and adds richness and structure as it sets.
Butter
Adds fat for tenderness and flavor.
Molasses
Adds sweetness, moisture, and deep color to the batter.

The step that matters

Heating the griddle and oiling it before pouring. If the pan is too cool, the batter spreads and absorbs oil, producing pale, greasy pancakes; if too hot, the outside browns and burns before the inside cooks. Oil that just starts to shimmer, before smoking, gives an even golden crust.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, cinnamon, clove, buttermilk, milk, egg, butter):

  1. Nutmegfits better
  2. Cardamomfits better
  3. Allspicefits better
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, cinnamon, clove, buttermilk, milk, egg, 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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