Why it works: Ginger and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,324 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Ginger Pound 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.
Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ginger, grated nutmeg, baking soda, and mixed spices.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, alternating with the molasses. Mix until well combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Bake for about 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center 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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Ginger + nutmegtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,324 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Ginger + molassestop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake's crumb together as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
- Brown sugar
- Creams with the butter to add sweetness, moisture, and a soft texture.
- Large eggs
- Add structure, richness, and moisture, and help bind the batter.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, deep sweetness, and a dark color to the cake.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
The step that matters
Alternate the dry ingredients with the molasses and mix only until combined. Once flour meets liquid, gluten begins to form. Overmixing develops too much gluten, which makes the cake dense and tough instead of tender.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, egg, nutmeg, molasses):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, egg, nutmeg, 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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