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 ↓
Coffee Cake
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.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
Dissolve the baking soda in the molasses, then mix in the strong coffee.
Add the molasses mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and then add them to the mixture.
Gradually stir in the flour, spices, and chopped raisins until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Coffee + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together895 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Creaming with sugar traps air and gives the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and its molasses notes deepen the color and flavor.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color and a robust, slightly bitter sweetness.
- Eggs
- Provide structure as they set and help bind the batter.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the cake its structure.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic molasses and coffee to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in the molasses. Baking soda must be fully dissolved and mixed in evenly, otherwise pockets of alkali can cause uneven rising and a soapy or metallic taste. Acidic molasses activates it for lift.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, molasses, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg):
- Clovethe original
- Allspicefits about as well
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, molasses, coffee, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg. 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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