Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Tea 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.
Make the batter
Cream the Cottolene and gradually beat in the sugar.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the mixture is smooth.
Alternately add the milk and sifted flour mixed with baking powder.
If desired, fold in the blueberries or currants.
For flavor, add vanilla, nutmeg, or a dash of cinnamon.
Shape and bake
Roll out the dough to a very soft consistency.
Cut the dough into desired shapes.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until golden.
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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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Cottolene
- Provides fat that creams with sugar to give the cake a tender crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and help bind the batter as they beat in.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender, golden crust when baked.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and hydrates the flour to form the dough.
The step that matters
Alternately add the milk and sifted flour mixed with baking powder.. Adding flour and liquid in alternating portions keeps the batter smooth and prevents overmixing, which would develop gluten and make the cake tough.
Swap the currant
The recipe marks currant as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon):
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, milk, flour, vanilla, 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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