Why it works: Molasses and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,116 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Soft 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 your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix together the molasses and sour cream.
Add the egg and stir until well combined.
In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and ginger.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 25-30 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.
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 + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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).
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Molasses + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,408 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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 moisture, dark color and rich sweetness with a deep, treacle-like flavor.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and tenderness, and its acidity helps the baking soda react.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure as it sets during baking.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets the cake as it bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour cream and molasses to produce gas that lifts the cake.
The step that matters
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until smooth. Stirring develops gluten in the flour, which gives structure. Adding the dry ingredients gradually and mixing only until smooth avoids overworking the batter, which can make the cake tough and dense.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, cream, egg, flour):
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, cream, 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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