Why it works: Nutmeg and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 18,623 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Drop Cakes
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).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and lard.
Add the nutmeg, salt, and egg, mixing well.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder, baking soda, and flour.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.
Spoon the batter into gem pans.
Bake
Bake until golden brown, about 15-20 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.
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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Lard
- Creams with the sugar to add fat and tenderness to the crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cakes as they bake.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cakes rise and lighten.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the buttermilk's acidity to add lift and help browning.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and acidity that activates the leavening.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds richness to the crumb.
The step that matters
Alternating dry ingredients with buttermilk. Adding the dry ingredients gradually and alternating with buttermilk keeps the batter smooth and evenly emulsified. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cakes tough.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, buttermilk, flour):
- Jalapenofits better
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Dillfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, buttermilk, flour. 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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