Why it works: Milk and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Molasses Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix the molasses, saleratus dissolved in sour milk, eggs, and butter (or lard/gravy).
Beat the mixture for one to two minutes.
Gradually stir in flour until the batter reaches a soft-cake consistency.
Bake
Pour the batter directly into the prepared hot oven and bake, being careful not to over-bake to keep the cake moist.
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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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture and a deep, sweet flavor to the cake.
- Saleratus (baking soda)
- Reacts with the sour milk to produce gas that makes the cake rise.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity activates the saleratus and keeps the crumb tender and moist.
- Eggs
- Add structure and help bind the batter while setting in the oven.
- Butter, lard, or pork gravy
- Adds fat for tenderness and moisture in the crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cake as it bakes.
The step that matters
Avoid over-baking. Over-baking drives off moisture and sets the crumb too firmly, leaving the cake dry. Pulling it once it is just set keeps it moist and tender.
“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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