Name: Castle Pudding
Ingredients: 60 g (2 oz) butter; 60 g (2 oz) brown sugar; 1 egg; ½ cup self raising flour, sifted; 1 tbsp milk; 3 tsp cocoa; 1 tbsp hot water; ¼ cup vanilla essence

Why it works: Cocoa and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 357 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓

Castle Pudding

Time4 – 6 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Grease 5 ramekins.

Make the batter

Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the egg and fold in the flour and milk, mixing well.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each ramekin and add the cocoa, vanilla and hot water to the remaining mixture.
Top up each ramekin and swirl the two mixtures together with a spoon.

Cook and serve

Place around the edge of a microwave carousel and microwave on medium for 4 – 6 minutes.
Allow to stand 1 – 2 minutes prior to serving.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1000Calories

29 gProtein

35 gFat

138 gCarbs

Counts 7 of 8 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
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.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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.

Cocoa + vanillatop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together357 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Milk + vanillatop 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).
Milk + cocoatop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together643 recipes

Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

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

Butter: Adds fat and richness, giving the pudding a tender crumb.
Self raising flour: Provides the structure of the pudding, and its raising agent helps it rise in the microwave.
Egg: Binds the batter and helps set the structure as it cooks.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and moisture, along with a molasses flavour.
Cocoa: Gives the chocolate flavour and colour to the swirled portion of the batter.

The step that matters

Microwave on medium for 4 – 6 minutes. Microwaves heat unevenly and can overcook the edges before the centre sets. Placing the ramekins around the edge of the carousel and using medium power gives gentler, more even heating, while the standing time lets the residual heat finish the centre.

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, flour, milk, vanilla):

Almondfits better
Chestnutfits better
Hazelnutfits about as well
Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, flour, milk, vanilla. 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.