Why it works: Sugar and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Sponge Pudding
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 the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Sift in the flour and baking powder, and mix until just combined.
Gradually add the boiling water, stirring gently until smooth.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm with your choice of sauce.
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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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Eggs
- Beaten with sugar to trap air, giving the pudding its light, fluffy structure.
- Sugar
- Beaten with the eggs to add sweetness and help create a light, airy texture.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding together as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the pudding rise in the oven.
- Boiling water
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter, making it smooth and pourable.
The step that matters
Gradually add the boiling water, stirring gently until smooth.. Adding the water slowly and stirring gently keeps the batter smooth and avoids deflating the air beaten into the eggs, which helps the pudding stay light.
“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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