Name: Red Velvet Poke Cake
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1½ cups granulated sugar; 2 eggs; 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; 6 tablespoons red food coloring; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup buttermilk; 2¼ cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar; 1 (12-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk; 8 ounces butter, at room temperature; 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature; 4¼ cups powdered sugar; 2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and 3,721 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

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.

Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together3,721 recipes

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

Aroma overlaplow

Mentioned together35,032 recipes

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

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together2,189 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Aroma overlaplow

Mentioned together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,032 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

Red Velvet Poke Cake