Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Welsh Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
Sift together the flour and salt and rub in the butter.
Stir in the sugar and the fruit.
Whisk the egg and add to the mixture.
Knead the dough to a firm consistency, adding a little milk if necessary.
Roll the dough to 5 mm thickness and cut into 7.5 cm circles.
Cook and serve
Slip the circles onto a hot griddle or place in a preheated heavy frying pan and cook each side, turning once, until golden brown.
Sprinkle each cake with sugar and add a dab of butter.
Serve on a hot dish.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| 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.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter 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
- Self raising flour
- Provides the structure of the dough, with raising agents that lift the cakes slightly.
- Butter
- Rubbed into the flour to tenderise the dough and add richness.
- Egg
- Binds the dough together and adds richness to the crumb.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cooked surface turn golden brown.
- Currants or sultanas
- Add sweetness, moisture and small pockets of fruit flavour.
The step that matters
Cooking on the griddle. The heat must be moderate and steady so the outside browns to golden while the centre cooks through. Too hot and the outside burns before the inside sets; too cool and the cakes turn pale and dry.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, egg, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, egg, milk. 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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