Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding

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.

1. Vanilla + coconuttop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,294 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

2. Cocoa + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together357 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

3. Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,187 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

4. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

5. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

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

What each ingredient does

Self raising flour

Provides the structure that sets the sponge as the batter cooks.

Sugar

Sweetens the pudding and helps give it a tender crumb.

Melted butter

Adds fat for a moist, tender texture and rich flavour.

Milk

Adds moisture and liquid so the batter comes together smoothly.

Brown sugar

Dissolves into the boiling water to form the self-making sauce beneath the sponge.

The step that matters

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, sauce, coconut):

1. Almondfits better
2. Cashew nutfits better
3. Chestnutfits better
4. Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, milk, sauce, coconut. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.