Why it works: Clove and allspice 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 ↓
Gingerbread
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
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Beat the eggs well.
Pour the molasses into the butter and sugar mixture.
Add the ginger and allspice, and mix well.
Alternately add the eggs and flour, stirring continuously.
Mix until very light, then add the lemon juice and peel.
Bake
Butter an earthen or thick tin pan and pour in the batter.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for about an hour, adjusting time for thickness.
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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Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,620 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Lemon + gingertop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,154 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Lemon + allspicetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,083 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Add structure and lift to the batter as they set in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness by coating flour and creaming air into the batter.
- Molasses
- Provides moisture, deep sweetness and the dark color of gingerbread.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps it brown during baking.
- Lemon peel and juice
- Adds bright aroma and acidity that balances the sweet molasses.
The step that matters
Mixing in the eggs and flour. Adding flour and eggs in alternating portions while stirring keeps the batter smooth and combined. Adding too much flour at once can cause lumps and a dense, tough crumb.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (clove, butter, sugar, egg, molasses, ginger, allspice):
- Orangefits about as well
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against clove, butter, sugar, egg, molasses, ginger, 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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