Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Gingee 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 the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix together the sugar, molasses, and shortening until well combined.
Add the egg and mix until smooth.
Dissolve the baking soda in the sour buttermilk and add to the mixture.
Stir in the ginger and salt.
Gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 30-35 minutes 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.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + buttermilktop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together526 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cake crumb as the batter bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and the characteristic sweet, rich flavor.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
- Sour buttermilk
- Adds acidity to activate the baking soda and contributes moisture.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets in the oven.
The step that matters
Mixing the flour in gently. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cake tough and dense. Mix only until the flour is just combined.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, egg, buttermilk, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, egg, buttermilk, 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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