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 ↓
Meat 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, combine the sausage, brown sugar, raisins, and spices.
Dissolve the baking soda in the hot water and add it to the mixture.
Gradually stir in the flour until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for about 45 minutes or 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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Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sausage
- Provides the meaty body and savory flavor that defines the cake.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the crust brown during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic components and hot water to produce gas that lifts the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it sets.
- Raisins
- Add chewy pockets of sweetness and moisture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda in the hot water. Baking soda must be fully dissolved before mixing so it disperses evenly. Clumps can leave bitter pockets and uneven rising, while the batter needs to be combined without overmixing to keep the crumb tender.
“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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