Treacle Sponge

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.

1. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together92,116 recipes

   Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

3. Flour + gingertop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together8,564 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

4. Ginger + sugartop 17% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together14,054 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).

5. Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together77,875 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Flour

Forms the main structure of the sponge as it sets.

Suet

Adds fat that keeps the cake rich and moist as it steams.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acidic treacle to lift and lighten the cake.

Treacle

Adds deep sweetness, dark color, and moisture, and its acidity activates the baking soda.

Milk

Hydrates the flour and helps form a batter that sets with steam.

Swap the ginger

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, milk, sugar):

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Jalapenofits better
3. Nutmegfits better
4. Gingerthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, milk, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.