Name: Low-cal Chocolate Cake
Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup flour; 1/4 cup granulated fructose**; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa; 1 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 1 cup low fat milk (2%); 2/3 cup liquid shortening; 2 eggs; **or other sugar replacement

Why it works: Cocoa and milk work together. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 643 recipes. Both carry methyl 2-methylbutyrate, which smells fruity, apple. The science ↓

Low-cal Chocolate Cake

Oven350°F

Time40-45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour a 13 x 9" cake pan.

Mix and bake

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat just until blended.
Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Cool

Let cool.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

988Calories

29 gProtein

35 gFat

137 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Cocoa + milktop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together643 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Flour: Forms the structure that holds the cake's crumb together as it bakes.
Eggs: Add structure and help bind the batter while adding moisture.
Baking soda: Reacts with the batter's acidity to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
Unsweetened cocoa: Gives the cake its chocolate flavor and dark color.
Liquid shortening: Adds fat and moisture, keeping the crumb tender.
Granulated fructose: Provides sweetness and helps with browning in the finished cake.

The step that matters

Beat just until blended. Overbeating develops too much gluten in the flour, which makes the cake tough and dense. Mixing only until the ingredients combine keeps the crumb tender.

Swap the cocoa

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

Almondfits better
Milletfits better
Chestnutfits better
Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against flour, milk, egg, sugar. 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.

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Low-cal Chocolate Cake