Why it works: Cinnamon and dates work together. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 283 recipes. Both carry anethole, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Cracker Cake Without Flour
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. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until well combined.
Add the cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon rind, mixing thoroughly.
Fold in the grated chocolate, chopped dates, and crushed soda crackers.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a greased baking dish.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until set.
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.
-
Cinnamon + datestop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together283 recipes
Shared aroma: anethole (sweet, anise).
-
Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Cinnamon + chocolatetop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,808 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Eggs
- Set the batter into a light, sliceable structure as they cook.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the eggs hold a light, whipped texture.
- Soda crackers
- Crushed crackers add body and starch that give the cake its crumb in place of flour.
- Chocolate
- Adds richness, fat and deep flavour that melts through the batter as it bakes.
- Dates
- Add moisture and natural sweetness, keeping the cake tender.
The step that matters
Beating the eggs and sugar. Beating the eggs with sugar traps air in the batter, which lifts the cake during baking. Under-beating leaves it dense and heavy, while the set depends on the eggs cooking through.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, dates):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Pumpkinfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, cinnamon, chocolate, dates. 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.
More cracker cake recipes
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Chocolate Cream171 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.