Why it works: Cinnamon and apple are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,598 recipes. Both carry methyl cinnamate, which smells strawberry. The science ↓
Apple 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. The book gives no cooking times; 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).
Mix and sift the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg and milk, then add to the dry ingredients.
Spread the batter in a buttered pan.
Add the apple and bake
Core and peel the apple, then cut it into four sections.
Lay the apple sections on top of the dough, pressing the sharp edges in.
Sprinkle cinnamon and fruit sugar over the apple.
Bake for 30-40 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.
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 + appletop 4% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,598 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the cake as the batter sets in the oven.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and adds structure and richness to the crumb.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Butter
- Cut into the flour to add tenderness and richness to the crumb.
- Milk
- Hydrates the dry ingredients and adds moisture to the batter.
- Apple
- Adds moisture and fruity flavour, and softens as it bakes on top.
The step that matters
Pressing the apple sections into the dough. Pressing the sharp edges in keeps the apple seated in the batter so it does not slide or dry out on the surface. Pieces pressed in partly sink and bake into the crumb, which helps them stay moist and stops the edges from burning while the cake rises around them.
Swap the apple
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, egg, milk, butter, sugar, cinnamon):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Applethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, egg, milk, butter, sugar, cinnamon. 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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