Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Ginger Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the butter to a cream.
Add the sugar and eggs, the latter one by one, until all are thoroughly mixed.
Mix well for 1 hour.
Add the flour and powdered ginger.
Bake
Bake about 1 hour in a moderate oven.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Syrup | not in our table | 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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.
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Syrup + creamtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,964 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Ginger + syruptop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together950 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Egg and cream barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and lift as the cake bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat that gives the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Ginger
- Provides the warm, spicy aroma that defines the cake.
- Syrup
- Adds sweetness and moisture to the batter.
The step that matters
Add the eggs one by one. Adding the eggs gradually lets each one emulsify fully into the creamed butter and sugar. Adding them all at once can make the batter curdle, which affects the texture of the finished cake.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, syrup, butter, cream):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Tarragonfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, syrup, butter, cream. 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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