Why it works: Apple and cinnamon are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Apple Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine pulped apples, flour, sugar, melted butter, and powdered cinnamon.
Add the beaten and strained eggs, candied citron chips, and ale yeast. Mix well.
Knead the mixture until smooth, then let it rise until doubled in size.
Once risen, add currants if desired.
Bake
Pour the batter into a mold and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven 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.
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.
-
Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
-
Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Apple + curranttop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,918 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Pulped apples
- Supply moisture and fruity flavor, keeping the cake tender.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, helping the cake set as it bakes.
- Ale yeast
- Produces gas during rising, lightening the dough before baking.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps the crust brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Let the dough rise until doubled. Yeast needs enough time to produce gas and expand the dough. Underproofed dough bakes up dense, while overproofed dough can collapse and lose structure.
Swap the currant
The recipe marks currant as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (apple, flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against apple, flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon, egg. 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.
More apple cake recipes
You might also like
Currant Cookies8 recipes
Delicate Cake246 recipes
Boiled Frosting69 recipes
Citron Cake68 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.