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 ↓
Apple Sauce 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. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the apple sauce, raisins, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon; mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking soda.
Make and bake the cake
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
Bake for 50-60 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.
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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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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Raisin + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender crumb when creamed with butter.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic apple sauce to leaven the batter so it rises.
- Apple sauce
- Adds moisture and fruit flavour, keeping the cake soft.
- Raisins
- Add chewy pockets of sweetness throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Stirring in the dry ingredients. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cake tough and dense. Stir only until the flour is just combined, leaving small lumps.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, sauce, raisin, butter, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Applethe original
- Lemonfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, sauce, raisin, butter, clove, nutmeg, 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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