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 ↓
Molasses Cakes
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 the dough
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, sour cream, and lard until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, cream of tartar, ginger, and flour.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
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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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 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).
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Cream + flourtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides sweetness, moisture and a deep flavor to the dough.
- Lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the dough and gives a short texture.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the dough together and sets during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and sour cream to help the cake rise and brown.
- Sour cream
- Adds acidity and moisture, which helps tenderize the dough.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding dry ingredients slowly and stirring just until combined keeps the dough evenly mixed and prevents overworking, which would toughen the texture.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, cream, flour):
- Jalapenofits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, cream, 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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