Name: Cheap and Very Good Ginger Oven-cake or Cakes
Ingredients: 4 large eggs (preferably French); 6 ounces brown sugar, finely rolled; 6 ounces all-purpose flour; 3 ounces butter, softened; a pinch of salt; grated lemon rind or thinly sliced candied peel; ½ ounce ground ginger; optional: a small amount of baking soda

Why it works: Lemon and ginger match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,154 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓

Cheap and Very Good Ginger Oven-cake or Cakes

Ingredients

4 large eggs (preferably French)
6 ounces brown sugar, finely rolled
6 ounces all-purpose flour
3 ounces butter, softened
a pinch of salt
grated lemon rind or thinly sliced candied peel
½ ounce ground ginger
optional: a small amount of baking soda

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 batter

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, brown sugar, flour, butter, salt, lemon rind or candied peel, and ground ginger.
Mix the ingredients in the order listed until well combined.
If desired, add a small amount of baking soda to ensure the cake is light.

Bake

Pour the batter into a round or square cake mold or small cups.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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.

Lemon + gingertop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together5,154 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together8,564 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Flour and butter 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: Provide structure and lift, setting the cake as they cook.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture, and gives the cake its warm, molasses-like flavor.
All-purpose flour: Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
Butter: Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavor.
Ground ginger: Provides the main spiced aroma and flavor of the cake.