Why it works: Clove and cinnamon 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 ↓
Spice 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 the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and brown sugar until well combined.
Add the melted butter and sour cream (or milk) to the mixture and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and flour.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until smooth.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool and top with white icing before serving.
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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together7,874 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + allspicetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Ginger + clovetop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Egg yolks bind the batter and whipped whites lighten the crumb for a tender structure.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and its molasses content deepens the color and flavor of the cake.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and rich flavor.
- Sour cream or milk
- Provides moisture and dairy richness to the batter.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidity in the batter to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that lightens the cake. Stirring them in vigorously knocks out that air, leaving a denser crumb, so fold gently until just combined.
Swap the ginger
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, cream, clove, cinnamon, allspice):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Gingerthe original
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, cream, clove, cinnamon, allspice. 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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