Why it works: Strawberry and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and 1,525 recipes mention both. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
The recipe
8 servingsIngredients
Contains: milk (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.
Beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.
Add the cold milk and the instant vanilla pudding mix. Beat on low for 2 minutes until thickened.
Gently fold the thawed whipped topping into the pudding mixture until no streaks remain.
Set aside about 1/4 cup of the crushed wafers for topping. Spread the remaining wafers evenly over the bottom of an 8-inch square dish.
Spread half of the pudding mixture over the wafers.
Scatter the sliced strawberries evenly over the pudding layer.
Spread the remaining pudding mixture over the strawberries and smooth the top.
Drizzle the strawberry ice cream topping over the surface, then sprinkle with the reserved wafer crumbs.
Cover and freeze for at least 4 hours, until firm. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
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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Strawberry + creamtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together1,525 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Vanilla + strawberrytop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,385 recipes
Shared aroma: p-vinylguaiacol (spicy, fruity).
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Milk + vanillatop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,175 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Cream cheese + strawberrytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together285 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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Milk + strawberrytop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together1,124 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
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