Why it works: Milk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Spice Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, milk, baking soda, mixed spice, and lard.
Gradually add the flour to the mixture until well combined.
Bake
For a cut cake, bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C).
For a loaf cake, bake in a preheated oven at 300°F (150°C).
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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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 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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Molasses + milktop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,243 recipes
Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
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 sweetness, moisture, dark colour and a deep, treacle-like flavour.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cake as its proteins hydrate and form gluten.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses's acidity to produce gas that helps the cake rise and darken.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Milk
- Supplies liquid that hydrates the flour and adds moisture and softness.
- Mixed spice
- Contributes warm aromatic flavour to the cake.
The step that matters
Adding the flour gradually. Once flour meets liquid, gluten begins to form, and overmixing makes the cake tough and dense. Adding the flour gradually and stopping once it is just combined keeps the crumb tender while still giving the structure the cake needs.
“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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