Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 11,917 recipes mention both. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat, tree nuts (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Introduction
This very rich cake from the West Indies is ideal for those who prefer not to ice their Christmas cakes. Indeed, icing is not recommended. Just tie a brightly coloured ribbon round it and you have a real feast of cake.
Soak the fruit
The fruit and nuts are soaked for a week before baking.
Six to eight days before you intend to bake the cake, measure out the rum, brandy, cherry brandy, Cointreau, water and bitters into a large saucepan.
Then add the spices, sugar, fruit and nuts.
Stir the ingredients together and heat them over a very low heat until the liquid is just moving - do not let it boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
Tip the mixture into a mixing bowl or other glass or china container and allow it to cool completely.
Cover the bowl with a double layer of clingfilm and place in the refrigerator or a very cool place.
Stir the mixture from time to time during the next few days.
Bake and finish
Six to eight days later, preheat the oven to gas 1, 275°F., 140 °C.
Cream the butter and sugar together and fold in the flour and beaten eggs.
Add the fruit mixture a little at a time until it is evenly blended.
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared tin, level the top and bake in the preheated oven for about 3 ½ to 4 hours.
If you think the cake is becoming too brown, place a double thickness of greaseproof paper over the top of it as protection.
When the cake is quite cold, wrap it in greaseproof paper first then either place it well in a plastic cake box or wrap it in silver foil.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together14,027 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Nutmeg + clovetop 1% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8,368 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Rum + brandytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,058 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Brandy + cherry brandytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together8 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as the cake bakes.
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to add tenderness and richness to the crumb.
- Self-raising flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dense fruit in place.
- Demerara sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cake brown.
- Sultanas, raisins and currants
- Supply sweetness and moisture from the fruit soaked in spirits.
The step that matters
Cooling the fruit mixture completely before adding it to the batter. Adding warm fruit to creamed butter and sugar can melt the butter and split the batter, so the cake may bake unevenly. Fully cooled fruit blends in evenly.
“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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