Why it works: Molasses and tea work together. They rank in the top 31% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 139 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Buckwheat Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine a pint warm water, half cup good yeast, one teaspoon salt, two tablespoons molasses, and buckwheat flour enough to make a thin batter.
Set the batter in a warm place and let rise overnight.
Keep and use the batter
If you have them every morning, save a little of the batter to start with instead of yeast.
Never add more flour in the morning.
If the batter is sour, add a teaspoon soda, stir in, and fry at once.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Salt | 1 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.
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 + teatop 31% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together139 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
- Buckwheat flour (in the method)
- Forms the bulk of the batter and gives the cakes their characteristic earthy flavor and structure.
- Good yeast
- Ferments the batter overnight, producing gas that makes the cakes light and airy.
- Molasses
- Feeds the yeast and adds sweetness and depth of flavor to the batter.
The step that matters
Adding soda to a sour batter. Baking soda is alkaline and neutralizes the acid produced during long fermentation, so it must be stirred in evenly and the cakes fried right away before the gas escapes.
“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.
You might also like
Molasses Sauce32 recipes
Tomato Soup526 recipes
Brown Bread461 recipes
Mutton Broth292 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.