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Dessert

Chuck Wagon Coffee Cake

A sweet, crumb-topped cake made with flour, sugar, butter, baking powder, spices, sour milk, and eggs.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Chuck Wagon Coffee Cake

Oven400°F
Time20 to 30 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

  2. Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter in a bowl to make fine crumbs.

  3. Remove 1/2 cup of the crumbs for the cake topping.

  4. To the remaining mixture, add the remaining dry ingredients.

Make the batter

  1. Add beaten eggs to the sour milk.

  2. Add to dry mixture and beat until very smooth.

  3. Pour into a well-greased 8 x 12 x 2-inch biscuit pan.

Bake and serve

  1. Sprinkle the crumbs on top.

  2. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes.

  3. Serve hot from the pan.

Notes

  1. Nuts may be added to the topping, if desired.

  2. Make sour milk by adding 1 tablespoon vinegar to 1 cup of milk.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

966Calories
28 gProtein
40 gFat
123 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Sour Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Lard1 tbsp (12.8g)115
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  3. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  4. Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together17,341 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  5. Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together12,655 recipes

    Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour
Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness, moisture, and helps the top brown.
Butter or lard
Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
Eggs
Add structure and richness, helping bind the batter.
Baking powder
Releases gas during baking so the cake rises and turns light.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acid in sour milk to produce gas for rising and tenderness.

The step that matters

Beating the batter until smooth. Once liquid meets flour, gluten begins to form. Beating too long toughens the cake and makes it dense, so stop once the batter is just smooth.

“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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