Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Currant Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Mix the currants with some of the flour.
Butter the pans thoroughly; otherwise, the thin cakes will be difficult to remove.
Make the batter
Work butter and sugar together to a smooth cream.
Slowly work in whole eggs one at a time.
Add a little of the flour, rind and juice of the lemon and salt.
Work in slowly the rest of the flour and the currants.
Shape and bake
Drop by spoonfuls on large buttered pans, pressing flat with a knife as the cakes are better when very thin.
Heat the pan a bit and allow the cakes to melt as much as possible before putting them in the oven to bake.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Lemon + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,227 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Butter + curranttop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,856 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air, and helps the cakes spread and turn crisp and tender.
- Sugar
- Creams with butter for a smooth base and adds sweetness and browning.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add richness and structure as they are worked in.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cakes together as they bake.
- Currants
- Add fruity sweetness and chewy bits throughout the cakes.
The step that matters
Pressing the cakes thin and heating the pan before baking. The recipe says the cakes are better when very thin and should melt as much as possible before baking. Spreading them thin lets them spread and bake evenly, while buttered pans keep them from sticking.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, lemon, butter, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, lemon, butter, flour. 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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