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 ↓
Ginger 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 the dough
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Dissolve the baking soda in boiling water.
In a large bowl, mix molasses, melted lard, dissolved baking soda, ginger, salt, and cream of tartar.
Gradually add 1 pint of flour, stirring until combined.
Add more flour until the dough is stiff, like bread.
Bake
Shape the dough and place it 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.
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.
-
Molasses + gingertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,116 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,408 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
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 the dark color, rich flavor, and moisture that give the cakes their body.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic cream of tartar and molasses to produce gas that lightens the cakes.
- Cream of tartar
- Acts as an acid that reacts with the baking soda to help the cakes rise.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten structure that gives the dough its shape and stiffness.
- Melted lard
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
The step that matters
Adding flour until the dough is stiff. Flour must be added gradually because too much flour makes the dough dry and dense, while too little leaves it too soft to hold its shape. Gluten develops as the dough is worked, so stopping at the right point keeps the cakes tender.
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.
More ginger cakes recipes
You might also like
Ginger Cookies213 recipes
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Ginger Cake93 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.