Why it works: Cinnamon and apple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Baked Apple Pancake
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the apple
Melt butter, combine apple, sugar, and cinnamon, and heat together.
Make and bake the batter
Combine 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder, egg, milk, and oil.
Pour this mixture over the apple mixture.
Bake for 12 minutes.
Serve
Serve with powdered sugar or syrup.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 10 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Salad | not in our table | 0 |
| Pancake | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Cinnamon + appletop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Milk + appletop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,104 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
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
- Apple
- Softens as it bakes and gives moisture and mild sweetness to the base.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and helps the apple brown lightly in the pan.
- Egg
- Sets the batter into a tender, custardy layer as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas as it heats, helping the batter rise.
- Milk
- Adds liquid that hydrates the batter and keeps it tender.
- Pancake mix
- Provides flour and starch that give the batter its body.
The step that matters
Pour this mixture over the apple mixture.. The thin batter must sit evenly over the hot, buttery apple so it bakes into a single layer. Uneven pouring leaves dry or soggy patches, since the egg and starch set as the batter heats.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, cinnamon, milk, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Raisinfits about as well
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, cinnamon, milk, egg. 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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