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 ↓
Citron Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately hot oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Grate the nutmeg and slice the citron into very thin strips, about half an inch long, then flour the strips.
Make the batter
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
Whisk the eggs until very light, then stir them into the butter and sugar mixture along with the flour, brandy, and spices.
Beat the mixture for several minutes, then gently fold in the floured citron.
Bake
Pour the batter into lined pans and bake until golden.
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 + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 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).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Eggs
- Provide structure and richness, and when whisked light they add lift to the batter.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, and creaming it with sugar traps air that gives a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps give it a light texture and golden browning.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as the eggs and butter set in the oven.
- Citron
- Supplies the candied fruit flavour and chewy pieces throughout the cake.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour and moistens the batter.
The step that matters
Folding in the floured citron. Beating the batter for several minutes develops gluten, so the citron should be folded in gently and briefly. Flouring the strips helps keep them suspended instead of sinking to the bottom of the pan.
“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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