Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 14,189 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Wedding 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
Sift the baking powder into the flour.
Cream the coconut butter with the powdered sugar.
Mix in the beaten egg yolks, then add half of the flour.
Stir in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, mace, and maple syrup or sorghum.
Add the beaten egg whites and the remaining flour alternately, mixing well.
Chop the raisins, currants, citron, almonds, dates, and figs, then add them to the mixture.
Pour in the grape juice and mix everything together.
Bake
Divide the batter into two large pans and bake for 2 hours or more at 350°F (175°C).
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.
-
Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
-
Coconut + gingertop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,168 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Coconut + cinnamontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together979 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dense, fruit-filled batter together as it bakes.
- Coconut butter
- Adds fat that keeps the crumb tender and rich.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and emulsify the fat, helping bind the batter.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking to lift the batter and lighten the crumb.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the batter and creams with the fat to trap air for a softer texture.
- Maple syrup or sorghum
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cake stay soft and browned.
The step that matters
Baking the two large pans. A dense, fruit-heavy batter needs a long, moderate bake so the centre sets fully. Underbaking leaves the middle wet and gummy, even when the top looks done.
Swap the coconut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, egg, cinnamon, ginger, clove):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Coconutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, egg, cinnamon, ginger, clove. 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 wedding cake recipes
You might also like
Ginger Cookies213 recipes
Ginger Cake93 recipes
Soft Ginger Bread85 recipes
Cinnamon Rolls71 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.