Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Molasses Cake
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.
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, combine 2 cups molasses and ½ cup butter.
Dissolve the mixture in 1 cup hot water.
Add 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar. Mix until soft and well combined.
Bake
Pour batter into a pan and bake until done.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Molasses + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,408 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Molasses + buttertop 30% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,123 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Provides the main sweetness, dark color, and moisture in the cake.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and rich flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic ingredients to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter, working with the baking soda to help the cake rise and keep its structure.
The step that matters
Mixing in the baking soda and cream of tartar. Baking soda and cream of tartar react as soon as they meet liquid, so the batter should be mixed well and poured into the pan promptly to trap the gas and get an even rise.
“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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