Name: Spice Cake
Ingredients: 2 tablespoonfuls molasses 1 teaspoonful cinnamon i/2 teaspoonful nutmeg; 1 teaspoonful cinnamon i/2 teaspoonful nutmeg; 2 teaspoonful nutmeg; 1 teaspoonful soda 1 cupful raisins mrs; 1 cupful raisins mrs; 1 cupful brown sugar ^ cupful butter 2 eggs 2v2 cupfuls flour v2 cupful milk; 2 eggs 2v2 cupfuls flour v2 cupful milk 2 tablespoonfuls molasses 1 teaspoon

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 ↓

Spice Cake

Ingredients

2 tablespoonfuls molasses 1 teaspoonful cinnamon i/2 teaspoonful nutmeg
1 teaspoonful cinnamon i/2 teaspoonful nutmeg
2 teaspoonful nutmeg
1 teaspoonful soda 1 cupful raisins mrs
1 cupful raisins mrs
1 cupful brown sugar ^ cupful butter 2 eggs 2v2 cupfuls flour v2 cupful milk
2 eggs 2v2 cupfuls flour v2 cupful milk 2 tablespoonfuls molasses 1 teaspoon

Directions

1 cupful brown sugar ^ cupful butter
V2 cupful milk 2 tablespoonfuls molasses
1 teaspoonful cinnamon I/2 teaspoonful nutmeg and cloves 1 teaspoonful soda
1 cupful raisins
Mrs. J. D. Odell.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

971Calories

28 gProtein

27 gFat

154 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 9 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Molasses	1 tbsp (20g)	58
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Nutmeg	1 tsp ground (2.2g)	12
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.

By Johnson, Vt. Congregational church. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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 + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together11,917 recipes

Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,390 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Nutmeg + raisintop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together5,377 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,623 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).