Wacky 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. Sugar + sugar substitutetop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together79 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. Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,241 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together92,116 recipes

   Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

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

Cake flour

Provides the structure that holds the cupcakes up as they bake.

Baking soda

Reacts with the vinegar and liquid to produce gas that lifts the batter.

Vinegar

Acidifies the batter so it reacts with the baking soda to help the cupcakes rise.

Vegetable oil

Adds fat that keeps the crumb moist and tender.

Cocoa

Gives the cupcakes their chocolate flavor and deep color.

Sugar

Sweetens the cupcakes and helps keep the crumb moist and tender.

The step that matters

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, sugar, sugar substitute, vinegar, vanilla):

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

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