Why it works: Cinnamon and ginger 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 ↓
Apple Slice Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cake
Cream apple juice concentrate, sugar and egg.
Add dry ingredients, mix, and put into a 9" round non-stick baking dish.
If the mixture is not smooth like cake batter, add up to 1/8 cup water.
Bake 15-20 minutes at 350.
Fill and ice
When baked and almost cool, slice in half and fill with softened apple chunks (microwave apple pieces until there is some sauce and then use).
Mix 1/2 cup icing sugar with enough milk to make icing, add 3 drops of red food colouring, and ice the cake.
Recipe can be doubled.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Apple Juice | 1 medium (182g) | 95 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cinnamon | 1 tsp ground (2.6g) | 6 |
| Ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh (2g) | 2 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 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 + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Apple + gingertop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,424 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
-
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 cake together as it bakes.
- Egg white
- Adds structure and helps the batter rise and set while baking.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, making the cake rise and become light.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cake brown and stay tender.
- Frozen apple juice concentrate
- Adds apple flavour, sweetness and moisture to the batter.
The step that matters
Slice the cake when it is almost cool. A warm sponge is soft and fragile, so cutting it too early can crumble or squash it. Letting it cool slightly firms the crumb so the layers slice cleanly and hold the apple filling.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, flour, cinnamon, ginger):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Lemonfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, flour, cinnamon, ginger. 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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