Why it works: Ginger and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,154 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Ginger Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the pudding
Combine 2 cups molasses, boiling water, 1 cup butter, yolks of 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 tablespoon ginger, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 cups flour, then steam for one hour.
Finish the whites
Beat 3 egg whites stiff.
Add 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and grated rind of 1 lemon to the beaten whites.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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.
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.
-
Ginger + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,154 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + lemontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,404 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Flour
- Forms the batter's structure as its starch sets during steaming.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the batter; whipped whites add lightness.
- Soda
- Reacts with the molasses to help the pudding rise and turn tender.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps stabilise the beaten whites.
- Ginger
- Gives the pudding its warm, spicy aroma and flavour.
- Lemon
- Adds bright acidity and fragrant citrus aroma to the whites.
The step that matters
Beat 3 egg whites stiff. Egg white proteins unfold and trap air to form a stable foam, which gives the pudding its lightness. Any trace of yolk or grease in the bowl or whites stops them reaching stiff peaks, so whip them in a clean, grease-free bowl.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, egg, lemon):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Turmericfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, egg, lemon. 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.
More ginger pudding recipes
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Ginger Cookies213 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 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.