Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Apple and Carrot Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Line the base and grease a loaf pan with 4‑cup capacity.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Make the batter
Place the flour in a bowl and mix well, then cut in the margarine and stir in the cinnamon.
Stir in the walnuts, raisins, apples, and carrot.
Add the orange peel, eggs, and orange juice, then beat well until thoroughly combined.
Bake and serve
Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for about 1 ¼ hours, or until the cake is well risen and firm to touch.
Turn out onto a wire rack.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Apple | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Orange | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Orange Juice | 1 medium (131g) | 62 |
| Walnut | 1 walnut half (4g) | 26 |
| Carrot | 1 medium (61g) | 25 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
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.
-
Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Wheat + walnuttop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together246 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
-
Cinnamon + orangetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cinnamon + appletop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Whole wheat flour
- Provides the main structure as the starch and protein that set the crumb.
- Margarine
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help it rise and set into a firm cake.
- Dessert apples
- Add moisture and natural sweetness as they soften during baking.
- Carrot
- Adds moisture and body, keeping the cake tender.
- Walnuts
- Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavour against the soft crumb.
The step that matters
Judging when the cake is done. The loaf is thick and moist with fruit and carrot, so the centre can stay wet while the top browns. Bake until it is well risen and springs back when touched, because underbaking leaves a gummy middle and the structure has not yet set.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (wheat, flour, cinnamon, walnut, raisin, carrot, orange):
- Figfits better
- Limefits better
- Vanillafits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against wheat, flour, cinnamon, walnut, raisin, carrot, orange. 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.
You might also like
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Apple Pudding256 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 recipes
Orange Gelatin100 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.