Why it works: Nutmeg and cinnamon 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 ↓
Cup Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Warm the milk and add the butter, keeping it by the fire until melted.
Beat the eggs until very light and stir them into the milk alternately with the flour.
Add the grated nutmeg, cinnamon, and lastly the baking soda dissolved in a little vinegar. Stir all the ingredients vigorously.
Bake
Butter small tin pans and fill them halfway with the batter.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden.
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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Nutmeg + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 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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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Beaten until light, they add structure and lift to the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake once it sets in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and a rich flavour.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the vinegar to release gas, helping the cakes rise.
- Powdered white sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the crust brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Dissolving and adding the baking soda. Baking soda needs an acid, here vinegar, to react and release gas. Adding it last and stirring well spreads it evenly so the cakes rise without holes or uneven patches.
“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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