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 ↓
Marble Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Sift the cream of tartar and baking soda with the flour for both parts.
Prepare two or more square baking pans lined with parchment paper.
Make the batters
Cream the butter and sugar for the white part, then add the egg whites and mix in the flour.
For the dark part, beat the treacle and spices with the butter and sugar, then add the eggs and mix in the flour.
Bake and finish
Layer the batters alternately in the pans, finishing with an even layer on top.
Bake for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the cakes.
Once baked, turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool.
When cool, ice with a simple white icing and marble with a feather dipped in food coloring.
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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together once baked.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavour.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help bind the batter.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic cream of tartar to lift the batter as it bakes.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter so the baking soda produces lift.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and deepens the colour of the dark batter.
The step that matters
Layering the batters. Alternating the light and dark batters in the pans keeps them distinct, so the marbling forms during baking rather than blending into one colour. Pour gently to limit mixing between layers.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, milk, egg, cream, cinnamon):
- Nutmegfits better
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, milk, egg, cream, 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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