Why it works: Raisin and flour match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Pound 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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Mix and bake
In a large bowl, mix the eggs, raisins, citron, flour, Madeira wine, nutmeg, and brandy thoroughly.
Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan.
Bake in the preheated oven 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.
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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Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + nutmegtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Raisin + brandytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,768 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Nutmeg + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,311 recipes
Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and provide structure as they set during baking.
- Flour
- Forms the gluten and starch framework that gives the cake its body.
- Raisins
- Add moisture and sweetness, and bulk to the batter.
- Citron
- Adds candied fruit flavor and chewy texture throughout the cake.
- Madeira wine
- Adds moisture and a fortified, caramel-like aroma.
- Brandy
- Adds moisture and a warm, spirited aroma.
The step that matters
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. A dense, fruit-heavy batter can look set on top while the centre is still wet. Testing the centre with a toothpick confirms the eggs and flour have fully set, so the cake does not sink or turn gummy after cooling.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, raisin, flour, madeira wine, brandy):
- Nutmegthe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Clovefits less well
- Allspicefits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, raisin, flour, madeira wine, brandy. 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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