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 ↓
Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the mixture
Rub ½ cup butter into 1 cup flour, then mix in 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ½ teaspoon salt.
Set aside ½ cup of the mixture for topping.
Make and bake the cake
To the remaining mixture, add 1 cup flour, ½ cup sour milk, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Mix well and pour into a greased baking dish.
Bake in a slow oven at 300°F (150°C) until golden.
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.
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.
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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Butter
- Coats flour particles and adds richness and a tender, crumbly texture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the top brown as it bakes.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity, which reacts with the baking soda.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the sour milk to release gas and lift the cake.
The step that matters
Rub the butter into the flour. Working the butter into the flour until it forms fine crumbs coats the flour and keeps the topping crumbly. Overworking it can make the mixture dense and pasty.
“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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