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 ↓
Spice 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.
Make the batter
Dissolve the baking soda in the sour milk.
In a large bowl, mix the eggs (only the yolks), brown sugar, melted butter, and the dissolved soda mixture.
Add the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and flour gradually, mixing until smooth.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) 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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 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
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and help bind the batter into a tender crumb.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and a molasses flavour that suits the spices.
- Melted butter
- Provides fat that keeps the cake tender and moist.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and adds moisture.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in the sour milk. Baking soda needs an acid to react and release gas. Dissolving it fully in the acidic sour milk before mixing spreads the reaction evenly, so the cake rises uniformly instead of having dense or bitter pockets.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour):
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour. 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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