Why it works: Raisin and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,390 recipes. Both carry 1-octen-3-ol, which smells mushroom, earthy. The science ↓
Apple 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
Roll out one pie crust thin and line the bottom and sides of a 14-inch square baking pan.
In the pan, combine the sliced apples, raisins or currants, sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon or nutmeg, and butter pieces.
Cover with the second pie crust, ensuring the lower crust overlaps the upper one.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) 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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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Apple + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,501 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Pie crusts
- Form the bottom and top enclosing the fruit filling and hold it in the pan.
- Apples
- Provide the bulk of the filling and soften as they bake, becoming tender and moist.
- Raisins or currants
- Add concentrated sweetness and chewy texture to the filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps draw out juices that form a syrup as the cake bakes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat that melts into the apples, supporting a tender filling.
The step that matters
Covering with the second crust. The lower crust must overlap the upper one so juices from the apples and sugar stay sealed in and the edges hold together during baking.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, butter):
- Pearfits better
- Figfits better
- Peachfits better
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, butter. 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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