Why it works: Vanilla and coconut match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,294 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Italian Cream Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, water, eggs and oil and beat on low speed for 4 minutes.
Stir in nuts and coconut then pour into well greased and floured rectangular cake pan.
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.
Combine all frosting ingredients and spread on cooled cake.
Category:Cathy's Recipes
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 8 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Coconut | 1/2 cup shredded (40g) | 283 |
| Pecans | 1 oz (28g / ~19 halves) | 196 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Pudding | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | 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.
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 + coconuttop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,294 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Pecans + coconuttop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together394 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Vanilla + pecanstop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,691 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Egg + pecanstop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,280 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Vanilla + eggtop 23% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together27,347 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Vanilla and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 27,347 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
Swap the pecans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vanilla, egg, coconut):
- Macadamia nutfits better
- Almondfits better
- Brazil nutfits about as well
- Pecansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against vanilla, egg, coconut. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
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