Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and 19,175 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
- CRUST
- TOPPING
Directions
Make the crust
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl.
Add the butter (no margarine) and sugar, and blend well.
Press the mixture onto the bottom and partly up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan.
Smooth the crumb mixture along the bottom to an even thickness.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Cool before filling.
Make the cheesecake
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat together the cream cheese, milk, salt, and vanilla until well blended.
Add the eggs and sugar, and continue to beat until light and creamy.
Pour the mixture into the prepared crust.
Bake for 35 minutes, or until lightly browned; the cake should be set in the middle.
Remove the cake from the oven.
Cool for 10 minutes.
Top and serve
Mix together the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla.
Spread the topping over the top of the cake.
Return the cake to the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes more.
Cool to room temperature.
Refrigerate until chilled.
Garnish the top of the cake with slices of kiwi fruit.
This recipe comes from the Recipes Wiki on Fandom and is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Our formatting and summaries are shared under the same licence.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
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.
-
Vanilla + milktop 2% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together19,175 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Cream cheese + buttertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,746 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Cream + buttertop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together41,494 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 3% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together35,031 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
What each ingredient does
- Cream cheese
- Forms the rich, dense body of the filling when beaten and set.
- Eggs
- Set as they bake, giving the cheesecake its firm structure.
- Graham cracker crumbs
- Form the crisp base that holds the filling together.
- Butter
- Binds the crumbs into a pressable crust and adds richness.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and mild tang to the topping.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the crust, filling and topping.
The step that matters
Bake until just set. Bake only until the edges are lightly browned and the centre is just set, as the filling firms while cooling. Overbaking tightens the egg proteins, causing cracks and a dry, grainy texture.
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.