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 ↓
Apple 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix the apple sauce, sugar, and butter until well combined.
Add the cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, candied peel, raisins, and currants, and mix well.
Gradually add flour until the batter is stiff.
Bake and finish
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool and frost with your choice of frosting.
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).
-
Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + orangetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apple sauce
- Provides moisture and fruity sweetness, keeping the cake tender as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps browning during baking.
- Flour
- Builds the structure that holds the stiff batter together as it sets.
- Candied citron, orange, and lemon peel
- Adds concentrated citrus flavor and chewy texture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Adding the flour gradually. Flour develops gluten when mixed, so adding it slowly and stopping once the batter is stiff prevents a tough, dense cake while still giving enough structure to hold the fruit.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, sauce, sugar, butter, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Pearfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, sauce, sugar, butter, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg. 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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