Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Layer Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the butter until creamy.
Slowly add the sugar, continuing to beat until creamy.
Gradually mix in the water, then the flour, beating thoroughly.
Gently fold in the well-beaten egg whites and baking powder.
Bake and assemble
Pour the batter into ungreased cake pans and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
Invert the pans and let them cool completely.
Remove the cakes from the pans and layer with your desired filling.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness to the crumb.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a fine, even texture when beaten with the butter.
- Pastry flour
- Provides the structure of the cake while its low protein keeps the crumb tender.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to foam, they add lift and set during baking to give the cake its structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter to make the cake rise in the oven.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Egg whites hold air only when whipped well, and stirring them in roughly deflates the foam. Fold gently so the batter keeps the air that gives the cake its rise.
“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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