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 ↓
Pound-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.
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Mix half of the flour with the butter, brandy, and spices.
Beat the egg yolks into the sugar until well combined.
Combine the yolk mixture with the flour mixture.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the batter, alternating with the remaining flour.
Mix until well combined and pour into a prepared baking pan.
Bake
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center 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 + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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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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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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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
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and bind the batter, while whipped whites add lift and a light, airy structure.
- All-purpose flour
- Gluten and starch form the cake's main structure once the batter is baked.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with eggs, helps trap air for a tender crumb.
- Unsalted butter
- Adds fat for richness, tenderness, and a moist, fine-textured crumb.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor while contributing a little moisture to the batter.
The step that matters
Folding the egg whites into the batter. Whipped whites hold air that gives the cake lift. Overmixing or deflating them during folding makes the cake dense and heavy, so fold gently just until combined.
“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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