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 ↓
Tea Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until well combined.
Add the butter or lard and mix until smooth.
Stir in the buttermilk and dissolved baking soda.
Add the cinnamon and nutmeg, then gradually mix in enough flour to form a stiff dough.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or 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.
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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add richness and structure as they set in the oven.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cakes and helps them brown during baking.
- Butter or lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and a rich, smooth texture.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and acidity that reacts with the baking soda.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the buttermilk's acidity to produce gas that lightens the dough.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together once shaped.
The step that matters
Stir in the buttermilk and dissolved baking soda. The baking soda must be fully dissolved and mixed in promptly so it reacts with the buttermilk's acid and releases gas while the dough is still soft. Uneven mixing leaves pockets of soda that can taste bitter and cause patchy rising.
“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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