Why it works: Molasses and clove are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,483 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Clove Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses and sour milk.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and ground cloves.
Make and bake the cake
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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.
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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Molasses + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,483 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + clovetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,671 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Milk + clovetop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,165 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture, and a deep sweetness to the cake.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with baking soda to lift the batter and tenderize the crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses to produce gas that makes the cake rise.
- Ground cloves
- Contributes the warm, spicy aroma that defines this cake.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding dry ingredients in portions and stirring just until combined keeps gluten development limited, so the cake stays tender rather than tough. Baking soda also starts reacting once it meets the acidic liquid, so the batter should go into the pan promptly.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, milk, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, milk, flour. 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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