Why it works: Raisin and flour 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 ↓
English Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Cream the butter with the sugar, adding the yolks one by one, then the sour cream and ammonia; mix well, then add the walnuts, almonds, raisins, fruits, vanilla and lemon juice.
In the end, add the flour and whipped egg whites. Mix gently.
Bake and cool
Pour the batter into the buttered and dusted bread pan.
Bake for 40-45 minutes at medium heat.
Test with a wooden pick and cut only when cold.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 10 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Yogurt | 170g plain Greek | 100 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Walnut | 1 walnut half (4g) | 26 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
| Fruits | not in our table | 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.
-
Raisin + flourtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Walnut + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together993 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and give a rich, tender crumb.
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and structure, and whipped whites lighten the batter.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and a slight tang, keeping the crumb tender.
- Ammonia powder
- Acts as a leavening agent that helps the cake rise.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it sets.
- Confectioner's sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps create a fine, tender texture when creamed with butter.
The step that matters
Fold in the flour and whipped egg whites gently. Whipped egg whites hold air that lifts the cake. Overmixing deflates them and develops gluten in the flour, which makes the crumb dense and tough.
Swap the walnut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, cream, egg, raisin, almond, flour, sugar):
- Pistachiofits better
- Chestnutfits better
- Brazil nutfits better
- Walnutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, cream, egg, raisin, almond, flour, 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.
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
Lemon Sherbet103 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.