Why it works: Cream cheese and berry share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 17 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓
The recipe
10 servingsIngredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Method written by CompKitchen from the ingredient list. Not the original author's method, not kitchen-tested.
Thaw and rise the frozen Parker house rolls at room temperature according to the package directions until puffy and soft, about 1 to 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch square baking pan with a little of the melted butter.
Pat the risen rolls evenly across the bottom of the pan, pressing them together to form a single layer, then brush the remaining melted butter over the top.
In a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, egg and vanilla until completely smooth with no lumps.
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the rolls, then spoon the mixed berry pie filling over the top in small dollops.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the edges are golden and the cream cheese layer is set, with the center reaching 160°F (71°C) because it contains a raw egg.
Cool the coffee cake in the pan for 15 minutes, then scatter the fresh berries over the top.
Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
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Cream cheese + berrytop 8% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together17 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Vanilla + berrytop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together50 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Butter + cream cheesetop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,746 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Sugar + vanillatop 3% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together35,031 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Cream cheese + vanillatop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,934 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,031 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
The Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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