Why it works: Sugar and buttermilk match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,973 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Lemon Cakes
serves 6Ingredients
Directions
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Butter and lightly sugar six 4‑ounce ramekins.
Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks, then set them aside.
Sift the sugar with the flour and salt.
Make the batter
In a mixer, using the whisk attachment, combine the buttermilk, lemon juice, egg yolks, and lemon zest.
Gradually add the flour mixture, then fold in the egg whites.
Divide the batter between the prepared ramekins. Place the ramekins in a water bath: set them in a larger pan and fill the pan with enough hot water to come halfway up the ramekins. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake and serve
Bake until the cakes rise and are almost firm, about 25 minutes. Then uncover and continue baking until the tops are lightly golden and the cakes spring back when touched, about 15 minutes more.
Unmold and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 12 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Buttermilk + lemontop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together501 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + lemontop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together44,316 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Eggs
- Whipped whites give lift and an airy crumb, while yolks add richness and set the custard-like structure.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cakes together as the batter sets.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and tenderness, and its acidity gives a soft, slightly tangy crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cakes and helps brown the tops as they bake.
- Fresh lemon juice
- Adds bright acidity and lemon flavor to the cake.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites hold air from whipping, which gives the cakes their rise. Overmixing or deflating them makes the cakes dense and flat.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, buttermilk):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits about as well
- Lemonthe original
- Pumpkinfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, buttermilk. 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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