Name: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing
Yield: 12 Texas-sized cupcakes
Ingredients: 1/4 cup (2 ounces) red food coloring; 3 1/2 tablespoons high-quality unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature; 1 3/4 cups sugar; 2 large eggs; 2 cups cake flour; 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 cup sour cream; 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature; 1 cup (8 ounces) cream cheese at room temperature; 2 cups powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; Pinch of kosher salt; 1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone (Italian cream cheese, available at most grocery stores); 1 teaspoon vanilla or mint extract; Crushed peppermint candy for garnish (optional)

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 ↓

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.

Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,721 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Mascarpone	2 tbsp (28g)	120
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Cream Cheese	1 oz (28g)	99
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Vinegar	1 tbsp (15ml) distilled	3
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Peppermint	not in our table	0

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream Cheese Icing