Why it works: Nutmeg and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Irish Plum 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. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Cream the softened butter and pounded sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten yolks and mix well.
Fold in the whisked egg whites gently.
Stir in the currants, grated nutmeg, brandy, chopped citron, and chopped almonds.
Gradually add the sifted flour, mixing until just combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and smooth the top.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until a skewer 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.
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 + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Currant + brandytop 7% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,057 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the cake a light, tender crumb and rich flavour.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the batter, while whisked whites add lightness and help it rise.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets as the cake bakes, holding the fruit and nuts in place.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps create a fine, airy texture.
- Currants
- Add chewy pockets of fruit sweetness throughout the cake.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour that complements the dried fruit and spices.
The step that matters
Folding in the whisked egg whites. Whites hold air only when whisked to a light froth and folded gently. Stirring or deflating them loses the air that lifts the cake, leaving it dense.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, nutmeg, brandy, almond, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, nutmeg, brandy, almond, 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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