Why it works: Ginger and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,038 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Soft Ginger Bread
Ingredients
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
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until smooth.
Mix in the molasses and eggs until well combined.
Gradually add the flour, ginger, and cloves, mixing until just combined.
Pour in the boiling water and stir until smooth.
Sift in the baking soda and mix well.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake for 30-40 minutes or 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 + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Molasses + clovetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,483 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and adds richness and a tender crumb.
- Molasses
- Provides moisture, deep sweetness and the dark color of gingerbread.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as the cake sets.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with molasses' acidity to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Ginger
- Gives the characteristic spicy aroma and flavor of gingerbread.
The step that matters
Adding the baking soda. Baking soda needs acid, here from molasses, to release gas and lift the batter. Mixing it in too late or without enough liquid can leave the cake dense. Stir it in well so the leavening spreads evenly through the batter before baking.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, molasses, flour, egg, ginger):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, molasses, flour, egg, ginger. 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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