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 ↓
Date Patty Cakes
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.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together.
Add the eggs and milk, mixing well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture.
Chop the dates and fold them into the batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into gem pans.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Cinnamon + datestop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together283 recipes
Shared aroma: anethole (sweet, anise).
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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).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cakes together as they bake.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the cakes rise and become light.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor, and helps trap air when creamed with sugar.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a caramel flavor that helps browning.
- Dates
- Add natural sweetness, moisture, and chewy pieces throughout the cakes.
The step that matters
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Adding flour in portions keeps the batter smooth and evenly combined. Overmixing once flour is in can develop gluten, making the cakes tough and dense.
Swap the dates
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, egg, milk, flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Datesthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, egg, milk, flour, sugar, 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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