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Dessert

Molasses Tea Cakes

A sweet cake made with molasses, sugar, and spices baked at 400°F.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Molasses Tea Cakes

Oven, in the book's wordsA moderately hot oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.

Make the batter

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

  2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar.

  3. Stir in the molasses and boiling water until well combined.

  4. Gradually add the flour and baking soda, mixing until smooth.

Bake

  1. Pour the batter into greased gem pans.

  2. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

  3. To vary the recipe, divide the batter and add cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger to half before baking.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together14,189 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).

  3. Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together8,686 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  4. Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,380 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  5. Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together6,038 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Shortening
Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
Molasses
Adds sweetness, dark colour and moisture, and a deep flavour.
Flour
Provides the structure that sets the cakes as they bake.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidic molasses to produce gas that lifts the batter.
Sugar
Sweetens the batter and helps tenderise the crumb when creamed with fat.

The step that matters

Gradually add the flour and baking soda, mixing until smooth. Adding flour in portions and mixing only until smooth keeps the batter from becoming overworked. Overmixing develops gluten and can make the cakes tough, while even mixing keeps the baking soda distributed so the cakes rise evenly.

“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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