Why it works: Nutmeg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,623 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Pound Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Make the batter
Gradually add the brandy and wine mixture, nutmeg, and ¼ of the flour.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until light, then add them to the mixture.
Add the remaining flour alternately with the beaten egg whites.
Mix well and pour into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown.
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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Brandy + winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,427 recipes
Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + winetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Adds richness and tender texture, and carries much of the flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, traps air that helps the crumb rise.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and moisture, and beaten whites add lift to the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it sets.
- Brandy and wine mixture
- Adds liquid moisture and a distinctive aromatic flavour.
The step that matters
Adding the flour alternately with the egg whites. Folding gently keeps the air from the whites in the batter. Overmixing once the flour is in develops gluten, which makes the cake dense and tough.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, flour, brandy, wine):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Tarragonfits less well
- Clovefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, flour, brandy, wine. 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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