Name: Fat-free Pumpkin Raisin Cake
Ingredients: non-stick cooking spray; 1 2/3 cup flour; 2/3 cup sugar; 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1/2 cup raisins; 2 egg whites; 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin; 1/3 cup corn syrup, light or dark; 1/3 cup orange juice; fat-free cream sauce; 1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt; 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. 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.

Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together9,075 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + corntop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,955 recipes

Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
Corn + orangetop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together586 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Raisin + orangetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,684 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour + corntop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,165 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Flour: Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
Eggs whites: Add structure and lift to the batter as they set in the oven.
Pumpkin: Adds moisture and tenderness to the crumb.
Baking soda: Reacts with acidic ingredients to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
Corn syrup: Adds sweetness and moisture, helping the cake stay soft.
Nonfat vanilla yogurt: Becomes the thickened cream sauce, adding tang and a creamy texture.

The step that matters

Testing for doneness. Baking time varies with oven and pan, so the cake can look done early or be dry if overbaked. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, showing the centre has set without drying the crumb.

Swap the pumpkin

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, milk, raisin, egg, corn, orange):

Vanillafits better
Figfits better
Lemonfits better
Pumpkinthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, sugar, milk, raisin, egg, corn, orange. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Yogurt	170g plain Greek	100
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Corn	1/2 cup kernels (82g)	77
Grape	1/2 cup (76g)	62
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Pumpkin	not in our table	0
Pie	not in our table	0
Syrup	not in our table	0
Sauce	not in our table	0

Fat-free Pumpkin Raisin Cake