Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Ginger Pound Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a cool oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
Beat the eggs until light and fluffy, then add to the butter mixture.
Stir in the flour, molasses, orange rind, ginger, and cinnamon, and mix well for several minutes.
Finally, stir in the dissolved baking soda or ammonia.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake 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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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Orange + cinnamontop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Orange + gingertop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,833 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and give a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and moisture, and help the batter rise and set.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color, and a deep sweetness with a slight acidity.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses acidity to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps aerate the creamed butter for a lighter texture.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda or ammonia. Leavening works best when it is stirred in last and evenly, so the gas forms as the batter sets in the oven. Mixing it too long or unevenly can cause coarse holes or a dense, uneven rise.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, flour, molasses, ginger, cinnamon):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, flour, molasses, ginger, cinnamon. 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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