Why it works: Clove and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Clove 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. 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.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix together the molasses, sugar, and buttermilk.
Add the flour, eggs, cloves, cinnamon, and baking soda to the mixture.
Stir until well combined, then fold in the raisins.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center 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.
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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Molasses
- Adds dark color, moisture and a deep, slightly bitter sweetness to the cake.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and help bind the batter as it sets in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and molasses to produce gas that lifts the cake.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and acidity, which tenderizes the crumb and activates the baking soda.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins and starches set when baked.
- Ground cloves
- Contribute a strong warm aroma and spice flavor to the cake.
The step that matters
Checking doneness with a toothpick. Baking time varies with pan and oven, so the cake can dry out or stay gummy in the center if removed at the wrong moment. A toothpick inserted in the center that comes out clean shows the crumb has set throughout.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, sugar, buttermilk, flour, egg, cinnamon, raisin):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, sugar, buttermilk, flour, egg, cinnamon, raisin. 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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