Name: Cheap Black Cake
Ingredients: one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in half a teacupful of sour milk; one teacup molasses; five eggs; two tablespoonsful of ginger; two teaspoonsful of royal baking powder

Why it works: Molasses and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,116 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Cheap Black Cake

Ingredients

one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in half a teacupful of sour milk
one teacup molasses
five eggs
two tablespoonsful of ginger
two teaspoonsful of royal baking powder

Directions

One teacup molasses, one of sugar, one of butter or lard, five eggs, two tablespoonsful of ginger, half a nutmeg, one teaspoonful of soda dissolved in half a teacupful of sour milk, or two teaspoonsful of Royal Baking Powder. Add sufficient flour to make it stiff, so that it will drop from a spoon.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

791Calories

27 gProtein

14 gFat

136 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Sour Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Ginger	1 tsp grated fresh (2g)	2

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

By Gibson, Marietta Fauntleroy Hollyday, "Mrs. C. H. Gibson.". Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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. See the original page.

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.

Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together4,116 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk + gingertop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,519 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Milk + molassestop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together7,243 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Egg + gingertop 33% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together7,337 recipes

Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).