Why it works: Mace and nutmeg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 6,557 recipes. Both carry myristicin, which smells spice, warm. The science ↓
A Very Old Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat the butter to a cream.
Rub the yolks of the eggs and the sugar together.
Add the butter.
Add the rest
Whip the whites to a stiff froth.
Add alternately with the flour.
Add the brandy and the nutmeg.
Add the soda.
Bake
Stir the whole mixture lightly and quickly.
Bake in a deep pan with the same heat required for pound cake.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 6 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
| Brandy | not in our table | 0 |
| Mace | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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.
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.
-
Mace + nutmegtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,557 recipes
Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).
-
Brandy + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
-
Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Brandy + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,340 recipes
Shared aroma: acetoin (butter, cream).
-
Brandy + macetop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,547 recipes
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the batter, while whipped whites add lift and a light crumb.
- Butter (in the method)
- Creamed butter adds richness and a tender texture.
- Flour (in the method)
- Flour provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Sugar (in the method)
- Sugar adds sweetness and helps the yolks blend smoothly into the batter.
- Brandy
- Brandy adds a warm, distinctive flavour and aroma to the cake.
- Mace
- Mace adds a warm, spicy aroma that complements the brandy.
The step that matters
Stir the whole mixture lightly and quickly. Once the flour is in, overmixing develops gluten and toughens the crumb, and it also knocks out the air trapped in the whipped whites, so the cake rises less.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (brandy, egg, nutmeg):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Allspicefits better
- Clovefits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against brandy, egg, nutmeg. 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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