Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Chocolate Cinnamon Torte
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the pan and batter
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Oil a 10- or 12-inch springform pan; dust lightly with a bit of cocoa powder.
Using an electric mixer, blend tofu with sweetener on low speed until the mixture is paste-like. Increase speed and beat until tofu is thoroughly blended and the mixture is shiny and the consistency of thick syrup. Don't worry about undissolved granules of sweetener which may remain; they will dissolve later when the liquids are added.
Add oil, water, and vanilla to the tofu mixture, beating until thoroughly combined.
Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cream of tartar, and cocoa powder. Blend the sifted dry ingredients into the liquid mixture.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40–50 minutes.
Cool and make the glaze
Transfer the cake to a rack and cool completely.
For the glaze, combine all glaze ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture is shiny and completely smooth. Let the mixture come to a boil, then immediately remove it from heat. Let the glaze cool for 10 minutes. Stir the glaze vigorously before using.
Glaze and decorate
Remove the sides of the pan from the cake. If necessary, slice off the top of the cake to make the surface even. Invert the cake onto a rack set over a pan to catch drips of excess glaze. Remove the pan bottom from the cake.
Pour the glaze evenly over the top of the cake, allowing some to drip down the sides. Use a knife or spatula to spread the glaze around the sides.
Transfer the cake to a serving platter.
Decorate by sprinkling additional ground cinnamon over the cake, using stencils to create shapes or a pattern if desired. Variation: a mixture of chopped toasted nuts and ground cinnamon may be pressed onto the sides of a freshly glazed cake instead of sprinkling plain cinnamon over the top.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 8 of 12 ingredients. The other 4 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 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Tofu | 100g firm | 76 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Fudge | not in our table | 0 |
| Coffee | 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.
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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
-
Tofu + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together350 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Vanilla + cocoa powdertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,189 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Cocoa powder + creamtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together826 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Tofu
- Provides moisture and a dense, creamy crumb in the cake.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake batter.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the batter to help the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter, helping the baking soda react and lift the cake.
- Cocoa powder
- Adds chocolate flavor and color to the cake and glaze.
- Granular sweetener
- Sweetens the cake and helps give the tofu mixture a smooth, syrupy texture.
The step that matters
Beating the tofu and sweetener until smooth. Thorough blending breaks the tofu into a smooth, syrup-like base. Undissolved tofu lumps or sweetener left in the batter can leave the cake uneven in texture.
“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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