Why it works: Allspice and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,874 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Cup 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.
Make the batter
Cut the butter into the milk and warm them slightly.
Warm the molasses and stir it into the milk and butter mixture.
Gradually stir in the brown sugar and set aside to cool.
Beat the eggs until light and stir them into the mixture alternately with the flour.
Add the ginger and spices, and stir the whole mixture vigorously.
Bake
Butter small tins, fill them nearly full with the mixture, and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C).
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.
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Allspice + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Molasses + sugartop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,302 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Eggs
- Beaten eggs add lift and structure to the batter as it bakes.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cupcakes together as they set.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness to the crumb.
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture and a deep, slightly sour sweetness.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crumb brown.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and helps bind the batter into an even mixture.
The step that matters
Beating the eggs until light. Well-beaten eggs trap air that expands in the oven and gives the cupcakes lift. Under-beaten eggs leave a dense result.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, molasses, sugar, butter, milk, flour, allspice):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Clovethe original
- Cardamomfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, molasses, sugar, butter, milk, flour, allspice. 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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