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 ↓
Graham Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine molasses, sweet milk, chopped raisins, melted butter, cinnamon, baking soda dissolved in a little hot water, grated nutmeg, and salt.
Mix in the graham flour until well combined.
Steam and serve
Pour the mixture into a cake mold.
Steam for 3 hours.
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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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Graham flour
- Provides the bulk and structure that sets the pudding's body.
- Molasses
- Adds dark sweetness, moisture and a deep flavour to the pudding.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses acid to lighten the batter and help it rise.
- Sweet milk
- Hydrates the flour and keeps the batter moist during steaming.
- Raisins
- Add chewy texture and concentrated sweetness throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda in hot water before adding it. Baking soda dissolved in a little hot water spreads evenly through the batter, so the reaction with the molasses lifts the pudding uniformly instead of leaving dense or bitter pockets.
“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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