Why it works: Sugar and molasses 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 ↓
Date Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and egg yolks together.
Add the sweet cider and half of the flour to the mixture.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture.
Dissolve the baking soda in a little warm water and stir it into the batter.
Add the remaining flour and the chopped dates, dredged in flour.
Bake
Pour the batter into an oblong pan and bake until well done.
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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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 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).
Butter and flour 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
- Flour
- Builds the cake's structure as its proteins set during baking.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter, and the whipped whites add lightness and structure.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and cider to release gas that raises the cake.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, deep colour and a robust sweetness.
- Dates
- Add chewy pockets of sweetness and moisture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Stiffly beaten whites hold air that lifts the batter. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, leaving a denser cake, so fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
Swap the dates
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, molasses, butter, cider, egg, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Applefits better
- Datesthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, molasses, butter, cider, egg, 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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