Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Batter-cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the flour and baking powder.
In another bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar, then add the milk.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold them into the batter.
Let the batter rest for about half an hour to rise.
Cook and serve
Preheat a greased griddle over medium heat.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the griddle without stirring or moving it after it has risen.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 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).
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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the starch and gluten structure that holds the cakes together as they set.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, causing the cakes to rise and become light.
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and binding, while whipped whites add air and lift to the batter.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and gives the batter its liquid base and tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown gently on the griddle.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that gives the cakes lift. Stirring them in vigorously knocks out that air, so fold gently until just combined.
“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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