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.
Prepare
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Beat egg yolks and brown sugar until well combined.
Stir in melted butter and sour milk.
Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture, stirring until smooth.
Pour batter into greased cake pan.
Bake
Bake 30–35 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.
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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Cinnamon + clovetop 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
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help bind the batter and give a tender crumb.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness, moisture, and a caramel-like flavor to the cake.
- Melted butter
- Provides fat for a moist, tender texture and rich flavor.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with baking soda to help the cake rise and tenderize.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk to produce gas that lifts the batter.
The step that matters
Gradually add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Adding dry ingredients slowly and stirring until smooth prevents lumps and overmixing. Overmixing develops too much gluten, which can make the cake tough, while the batter needs to be evenly combined for an even rise.
Swap the clove
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, milk, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Cardamomfits better
- Allspicefits about as well
- Clovethe original
- Gingerfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, 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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