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 ↓
Chocolate 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
Melt the butter and stir until frothy.
Beat the egg yolks and stir into the butter.
Add the sugar, ground almonds, grated chocolate, cinnamon, and pounded cloves; beat well for 15 minutes.
Beat the egg whites to a froth and fold into the mixture.
Bake
Butter a mold and pour in the batter.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
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 + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Almond + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,514 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Almond + chocolatetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,733 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Almond + clovetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,605 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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 the batter and whites, whipped to a froth, lighten it and give structure as it sets.
- Butter
- Adds richness and moisture, giving the cake a tender crumb.
- Ground almonds
- Add body and a moist, dense texture without much flour.
- Chocolate
- Provides rich flavor and deep color to the cake.
- White sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps keep the cake moist.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Whites hold air only when whipped to a froth, and deflating them by stirring instead of gently folding loses the lift that keeps the cake light. Fold gently until just combined.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, sugar, almond, chocolate, cinnamon):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, sugar, almond, chocolate, cinnamon. 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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