Name: Ginger Cakes
Ingredients: 2 cups syrup; 1 cup lard; 1 dessertspoonful baking soda; flour (enough to make a dough); ginger (to taste)

Why it works: Flour and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,564 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Ginger Cakes

Oven, in the book's wordsA medium oven

Ingredients

Directions

The book says “a medium oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.

Make the dough

Scald together the syrup and lard in a saucepan.
Once cool, add baking soda and enough flour to form a dough.
Add ginger to taste.

Shape and bake

Roll out the dough and cut into shapes with a cutter.
Rub a little syrup over the tops before baking.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until done.

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.

Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,564 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Syrup + gingertop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together950 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Syrup + flourtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,540 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

What each ingredient does

Syrup: Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cakes brown on the surface.
Lard: Adds fat for a tender texture and richer crumb.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidity in the syrup to help the cakes rise and lighten.
Flour: Provides the structure that holds the dough together and sets during baking.