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 ↓
Plum-cakes
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.
Prepare the batter
Mix the flour, sugar, currants, raisins, spices, lemon peel, and almonds in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in the cream until lukewarm, then add the sweet wine, brandy, rose-water, and beaten eggs.
Gradually strain the liquid into the dry ingredients, beating the mixture for a full hour.
Bake and finish
Butter a hoop or pan and pour in the batter, adding plenty of citron, lemon, and orange candy.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for at least 4 hours.
If icing, pour it over the cake when nearly cold and return it to the oven overnight, keeping the door slightly open.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fine flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as it sets in the oven.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
- Currants
- Provide fruit flavour and moisture throughout the cake.
- Loaf sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps it brown during baking.
- Yeast
- Helps the batter rise and gives it a lighter texture.
The step that matters
Beating the batter for a full hour. Long beating works air into the batter and develops the structure that lifts the cake. Under-beating leaves it dense, while the liquid must be added gradually so the batter stays smooth.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, raisin, mace, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Figfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Orangefits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, raisin, mace, clove, cinnamon, 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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