Why it works: Molasses and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,225 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Ginger 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 large bowl, mix molasses, sugar, and egg until well combined.
Dissolve baking soda in water and add to the mixture.
Stir in shortening and ginger until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 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 + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 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).
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Sugar + gingertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together14,054 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + gingertop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together7,337 recipes
Shared aroma: (e)-2-octenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and ginger barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 14,054 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, slightly bitter sweetness.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas, helping the cake rise.
- Shortening
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and moist texture.
- Ginger
- Provides the main spicy, aromatic flavor of the cake.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda fully in the water. Baking soda must be evenly dissolved so it reacts with the acidic molasses throughout the batter. Lumps leave pockets of bitter, unreacted soda and uneven rising.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, egg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
- Allspicefits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, egg. 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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