Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg 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 ↓
Spice Cake
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.
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter.
Add the eggs and sour milk, mixing well.
Stir in the baking soda, flour, and spices until combined.
Divide the batter into two greased cake pans.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Make the frosting and finish
For the frosting, beat the reserved egg white until soft peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold in the chopped raisins.
Spread the frosting between the layers or on top of the cake.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Clove + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together14,189 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Clove + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together8,686 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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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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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps give the cake a tender crumb.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as the cake sets.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity that reacts with the baking soda for rise.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that leavens the cake.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
The step that matters
Stir in the baking soda, flour, and spices until combined. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, making the cake tough. Mix just until no dry streaks remain, so the leavening gas is kept in a light crumb.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg, milk, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg, milk, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg. 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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