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 ↓
Raised Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Combine the light raised dough, sugar, butter, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda dissolved in milk in a large bowl.
Mix in the flour until well combined.
Beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
Bake
Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) 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 + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 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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Nutmeg + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Light raised dough
- Provides the leavened base and a yeasty, airy crumb structure in the cake.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, setting the crumb as the cake bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and a rich flavour.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps brown the crust.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the batter once combined.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the batter to help it rise and lighten.
The step that matters
Beat the mixture until light and fluffy. Beating incorporates air into the creamed fat, sugar and eggs, which gives the cake lift and an even crumb. Under-beating leaves it dense, while over-mixing after the flour is added can toughen it.
“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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