Why it works: Cinnamon and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,950 recipes. Both carry beta-phellandrene, which smells minty, terpene. The science ↓
Cinnamon Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Mix the powdered sugar, fine flour, fresh butter, powdered cinnamon, grated lemon peel, and beaten egg whites thoroughly.
If desired, add brandy or rum.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a buttered mold or spread it on a well-buttered flat tin.
Bake in a 350°F (175°C) oven for about 30 minutes.
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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Cinnamon + lemontop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,950 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-phellandrene (minty, terpene).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + brandytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,199 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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
- Whites of eggs
- Beaten to a solid froth, they trap air and give the cake its light, risen structure.
- Fresh butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb, and helps the cake brown as it bakes.
- Fine flour
- Provides the starch and protein that set during baking to form the cake's structure.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps it brown while contributing to a fine, even crumb.
- Powdered cinnamon
- Gives the cake its main warm, spiced aroma and flavor.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites to a solid froth. Egg whites must be whipped until stiff so they hold air through mixing and baking. Under-whipped whites deflate, leaving a dense cake, while the thorough mixing needed afterward can knock out air if done too roughly.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, egg, brandy):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, egg, brandy. 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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