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 ↓
Fig 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.
Prepare the fig batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the dark brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Add the water, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and eggs, mixing well.
Stir in the chopped raisins, wine, chopped figs, and currants.
Gradually add the flour and baking powder, mixing until just combined.
Make the layer batter
In another bowl, cream together the sugar and butter for the layers.
Add the sweet milk, cornstarch, flour, and baking powder, mixing until smooth.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold into the layer mixture.
Bake
Pour the fig batter into prepared cake pans, alternating with the layer batter.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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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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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Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,390 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
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Nutmeg + raisintop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,377 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-terpineol (lilac, floral).
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 add structure as they set during baking.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness through fat coating the flour.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the layer batter and help it rise.
- Figs
- Add moisture and natural sweetness, giving the cake its dense, fruity texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, lifting the batter as the cake bakes.
- Cornstarch
- Softens the flour's gluten, giving the layer batter a tender, fine crumb.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that gives the layer batter its lift. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, so the layers bake up flatter and denser.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, wine):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits about as well
- Lemonfits about as well
- Raisinthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, egg, wine. 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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