Name: Real Red Velvet Cake Frosting
Ingredients: 1 cup sugar; 1 tsp vanilla; 3 tbsp flour; 1 cup butter; 1 cup vitamin D whole milk (too runny if you use other)

Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Real Red Velvet Cake Frosting

Ingredients

Directions

Make the base

Cook flour and milk in a double boiler until thick, stirring constantly.

Finish and store

Cream sugar, butter, and vanilla until as fluffy as possible.
Blend the cooked mixture with the creamed mixture.
Keep the icing refrigerated, as it will fall apart at room temperature.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

767Calories

21 gProtein

21 gFat

120 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 5 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12

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.

Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,187 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Vanilla + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,241 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

Flour: Thickens the milk as its starch swells and sets when cooked, giving the frosting body.
Milk: Provides the liquid that the flour thickens into a smooth, spreadable base.
Butter: Adds fat that creams with sugar to trap air and give a rich, soft texture.
Sugar: Adds sweetness and its crystals help aerate the butter when creamed.

The step that matters

Cooking the flour and milk until thick. Flour starch only thickens fully once the mixture is hot enough to swell it. Stirring constantly spreads heat evenly, preventing scorching at the bottom and lumps from forming, which would give a grainy frosting.

“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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Real Red Velvet Cake Frosting