Why it works: Molasses and ginger are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,116 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Molasses Cakes
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 dough
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, sour cream, and lard until well combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, cream of tartar, ginger, and flour.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms.
Bake
Shape the dough into cakes and place them on a baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown.
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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Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 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).
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Molasses + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,408 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cream + flourtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides sweetness, dark color, and moisture to the dough.
- Lard
- Adds fat that keeps the cakes tender and short in texture.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough as it binds with the liquids.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and sour cream to lift and lighten the cakes.
- Sour cream
- Adds acidity and moisture, helping the baking soda react and softening the crumb.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding the flour in portions and stirring only until a dough forms keeps the mixture evenly combined and limits gluten development, which would otherwise make the cakes tough.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, cream, flour):
- Jalapenofits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Cinnamonfits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, cream, flour. 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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