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 ↓
Ginger 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.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, mix the beaten eggs and castor sugar until well combined.
Add the ground cloves, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, mixed candied peel, and sifted flour with baking powder. Mix thoroughly until combined.
Fold in the blanched, browned, and shredded almonds.
Bake
Pour the mixture into a large pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 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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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Cinnamon + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,380 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + gingertop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together6,038 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Cinnamon + orangetop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,437 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and provide structure and lift as they set in the oven.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender crumb when beaten with the eggs.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cake rise in the oven.
- Ground ginger
- Provides the warm, spicy aroma and flavour that defines this cake.
- Blanched jordan almonds
- Add nutty flavour and a crunchy, chewy texture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Mix thoroughly until combined. Overmixing once the flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cake tough and dense. Mix just until no dry flour remains, then fold in the almonds gently so the batter keeps its air.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, clove, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, flour):
- Raisinfits about as well
- Orangethe original
- Limefits about as well
- Vanillafits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, clove, cinnamon, ginger, lemon, 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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