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Dessert

Gingerbread Without Eggs

A soft gingerbread batter made with butter, ginger, molasses, water or sour milk, baking soda, and flour.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 4 ingredients
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Why it works: Ginger and molasses 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 ↓

Gingerbread Without Eggs

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Combine 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon ginger, cup brown sugar, 2 cups molasses, 2 cups water or sour milk, 1 teaspoon soda, and flour to make a soft batter.

  2. Stir up quickly and bake in a moderate oven.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

162Calories
0 gProtein
12 gFat
15 gCarbs

Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 3 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Molasses1 tbsp (20g)58
Ginger1 tsp grated fresh (2g)2
Waternot in our table0

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

By Martin, Maria Ewing, Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. 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.

  1. Ginger + molassestop 14% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together4,116 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  2. Butter + gingertop 26% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together7,152 recipes

    Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

  3. Butter + molassestop 30% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together8,123 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

Molasses
Adds sweetness, moisture, dark color and the rich flavor typical of gingerbread.
Flour (in the method)
Provides the structure that sets the batter as it bakes.
Soda (in the method)
Reacts with the acid in sour milk or molasses to produce gas that lifts the batter.
Butter
Adds fat, which tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
Ginger
Supplies the spicy aroma that defines the gingerbread flavor.
Brown sugar (in the method)
Adds sweetness and moisture and deepens the caramel notes.

The step that matters

Stir up quickly and bake promptly. Baking soda starts releasing gas as soon as it meets liquid and acid. Because this recipe uses no eggs to trap air, the batter should be mixed briefly and put in the oven right away so the lift is not lost before it sets.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, molasses):

  1. Cinnamonfits better
  2. Clovefits about as well
  3. Nutmegfits about as well
  4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, molasses. 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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