Why it works: Ginger and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,380 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Soft Gingerbread
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream together the sugar, molasses, and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the spices, beaten egg yolks, milk, and egg whites to the mixture.
Gradually mix in the flour and baking soda until well combined.
Pour the batter into two loaf pans.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted 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.
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 + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the loaves together as they set.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help it set into a firm, cohesive crumb.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and the dark colour and rich flavour of the gingerbread.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses to lift the batter and deepen browning.
- Milk
- Adds moisture that keeps the batter loose and the finished cake soft.
The step that matters
Mixing in the flour and baking soda. Once flour is added, stirring too much develops gluten, which makes the crumb tough and dense instead of soft. Mix only until the flour is just combined.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, milk, molasses, sugar, egg, cinnamon):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Clovefits about as well
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, milk, molasses, sugar, egg, cinnamon. 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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