Why it works: Nutmeg and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,115 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Rich Jumbles
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 your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the dough
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
Stir in the cream, baking powder, nutmeg, and bitter almonds.
Gradually add the flour, mixing until a dough forms.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or 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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Nutmeg + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,115 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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 dough as it binds with the eggs and butter.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness, and carries flavor through the dough.
- Eggs
- Bind the dough and add structure and richness as they set in the oven.
- Sugar
- Creaming with butter adds sweetness and helps give the cake a light texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the dough so the cakes rise and turn lighter.
The step that matters
Creaming the butter and sugar. Beating air into the softened butter and sugar creates tiny air pockets that help the cakes rise and stay light. Under-creamed butter gives a dense, heavy result.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, egg, cream, almond):
- Nutmegthe original
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Capersfits less well
- Tarragonfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, egg, cream, almond. 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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