Name: Yellow Bundt Cake
Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups (215 g) unbleached all-purpose flour; 2 tsp baking powder; ¼ tsp baking soda; ¼ tsp salt; 3 eggs, yolks and whites separated; 1 ½ cups (315 g) sugar; ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup (250 ml) buttermilk

Why it works: Flour and buttermilk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓

Yellow Bundt Cake

Oven350°F (180°C)

Time45 to 50 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously butter and flour a 10 to 12-cup (2.5-3 litre) Bundt pan.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Make the batter

In another bowl, beat the egg whites at high speed with an electric mixer until frothy. While beating, gradually add ½ cup (105 g) of the sugar. Beat until soft peaks form. Set the meringue aside.
In a third bowl, cream the butter, the remaining sugar (1 cup/210 g) and the vanilla with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and beat until smooth. At low speed, add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk, beating just until just smooth.
With a spatula, stir about a quarter of the meringue into the batter. Gently fold in the remaining meringue. Spread the batter into the pan.

Bake and cool

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes. Unmould and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

845Calories

27 gProtein

26 gFat

121 gCarbs

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
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	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.

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.

Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,721 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + vanillatop 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

Eggs: Egg whites whipped into a meringue lighten the batter, and yolks add richness and structure.
Unsalted butter: Creamed with sugar, it traps air and gives the cake a tender, rich crumb.
All-purpose flour: Its proteins set with the eggs and leavening to form the cake's main structure.
Buttermilk: Its acidity reacts with the baking soda for lift and keeps the crumb moist and tender.
Sugar: Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps create a light, fine texture.

The step that matters

Folding the meringue into the batter. Stirring in a portion first loosens the batter so the rest can be folded in gently. Vigorous mixing knocks out the air from the whipped whites, which leads to a dense, flat cake.

Swap the vanilla

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

Raisinfits better
Vanillathe original
Lemonfits less well
Figfits less well

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

Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes

Buttermilk Pie12 recipes

White Cake431 recipes

Pound Cake373 recipes

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Yellow Bundt Cake