Spooktacular Chocolate Cupcakes

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

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

2. Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together3,721 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

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

4. Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together2,973 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

5. Vanilla + peanuttop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together1,176 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, 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

What each ingredient does

All-purpose flour

Provides the structure that holds the cupcake crumb together.

Eggs

Add structure and richness, helping the batter set as it bakes.

Shortening

Adds fat for a tender crumb and moist texture.

Buttermilk

Its acidity reacts with the leavening and tenderizes the crumb.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to produce gas that lifts the batter.

Cream cheese

Gives the filling a thick, smooth body and tangy flavor.

The step that matters

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, buttermilk, egg, vanilla, peanut, butter):

1. Almondfits better
2. Hazelnutfits better
3. Chestnutfits better
4. Cocoathe original

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