Why it works: Apple and wine are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,207 recipes. Both carry 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells green bell pepper, earthy. The science ↓
Modern Cookery
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.
Prepare the apples
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Peel and core the apples, then cook them until soft.
Mash the apples until smooth.
Make the batter and bake
In a bowl, mix the mashed apples with sugar, wine, melted butter, lemon juice, lemon rind, and eggs.
Pour the mixture into a baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour or until firm in the middle.
Serve
Serve with clarified butter and sifted sugar on top.
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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Apple + winetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,207 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-isobutyl-3-methoxypyrazine (green bell pepper, earthy).
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Wine + lemontop 13% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together6,157 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Wine + buttertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
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Apple + lemontop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,551 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
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Apple + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,706 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-nonenal (cardboard, fatty).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Apples
- Provide the main body and moisture of the cake, softening into a purée when cooked and mashed.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to give the cake structure and firm the centre.
- Butter
- Adds richness and fat, contributing to a tender texture and flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and adds moisture and browning as it bakes.
- Lemon
- Adds acidity and aroma that brighten the sweetness of the apples and sugar.
The step that matters
Bake until firm in the middle. The eggs set as the cake bakes, so pulling it too early leaves a wet, custardy centre, while overbaking can make it dry and rubbery.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, wine, butter, lemon, egg):
- Vanillafits better
- Orangefits about as well
- Raspberryfits about as well
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, wine, butter, lemon, egg. 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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