Why it works: Almond and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,514 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Almond Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the sugar into the egg yolks.
Add the cinnamon, then the almond paste, alternately with the stiffened egg whites.
Beat for 3 minutes.
Shape and bake
Flour your hands thickly and take a small ball of the almond mixture.
Flatten it into a small, thin cake.
Place the cakes on buttered paper in baking pans.
Bake in a very hot oven at 400°F (200°C) until lightly colored.
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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Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Almond + rosetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,465 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Rose + cinnamontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together892 recipes
Shared aroma: methyleugenol (clove, spice).
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Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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
- Almonds or almond paste
- Provide the main body and rich almond flavor of the cake.
- Eggs
- Whites add lightness and structure, while yolks add richness and moisture.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown as they bake.
The step that matters
Folding the stiffened egg whites in alternately. Egg whites hold air that lightens the cake. Alternating them with the almond mixture and beating too hard can deflate the foam, leaving the cakes dense.
“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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