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 ↓
Jam 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 the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.
Make the batter
Gradually add the flour, jam, and butter, mixing well.
Dissolve the baking soda in a little water and add to the mixture.
Stir in the grated nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon.
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Bake
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick 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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Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Nutmeg + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Beaten with sugar to trap air, giving the cake lift and a light, fluffy structure.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Jam
- Adds sweetness, moisture and fruity flavor to the crumb.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and rich flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the batter to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a light, airy texture when beaten with eggs.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda before adding it. Baking soda needs to be evenly distributed in the batter to react and lift the cake uniformly. Dissolving it in a little water first helps it spread evenly, avoiding dense pockets or bitter spots.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, flour, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon):
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicethe original
- Clovefits about as well
- Turmericfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, flour, butter, 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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