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 ↓
Corn Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a large bowl, mix sour milk, molasses or brown sugar, egg, saleratus, salt, and ginger.
Add cornmeal and sifted flour, and stir until combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake and vary
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown.
For a variation, add raspberries or chopped sweet apples to the batter.
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).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Ginger + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,564 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Milk and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the saleratus to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Saleratus (baking soda)
- Reacts with the acid in sour milk to leaven the bread and help it rise.
- Egg
- Adds structure and binds the batter as it sets in the oven.
- Cornmeal
- Gives the bread its main body, coarse texture and corn flavour.
- Sifted flour
- Provides gluten-forming structure so the cornmeal bakes into a sliceable crumb.
- Molasses or brown sugar
- Adds sweetness, moisture and colour, and promotes browning in the crust.
The step that matters
Adding the saleratus to the sour milk mixture. Baking soda needs an acid to produce carbon dioxide. Mixing it into the acidic sour milk and then baking promptly lets the gas expand in the batter, so the bread rises rather than staying dense.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, molasses, egg, flour):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Jalapenofits better
- Gingerthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, molasses, egg, 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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