Why it works: Milk and tea work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 738 recipes. Both carry 4-heptenal, which smells creamy, biscuit. The science ↓
Fried Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine two eggs, one cup milk, one cup sugar, one teaspoonful nutmeg, one tablespoonful lard or butter, pinch salt, one teaspoonful baking powder, and flour enough to thicken.
Roll out the batter.
Fry
Cook in hot fat.
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 |
| Lard | 1 tbsp (12.8g) | 115 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Nutmeg | 1 tsp ground (2.2g) | 12 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
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.
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Milk + teatop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together738 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).
-
Tea + nutmegtop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together202 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
-
Milk + nutmegtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together14,685 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Egg + nutmegtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together24,744 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
-
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and nutmeg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 24,744 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
- Bind the batter and add richness and structure to the cakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cakes rise and turn light.
- Lard
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor, and carries heat into the cakes.
- Flour (in the method)
- Thickens the batter so it can be rolled out and hold its shape.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and contributes to browning in the hot fat.
The step that matters
Cook in hot fat. If the fat is not hot enough, the cakes absorb excess oil and turn greasy and heavy. Hot fat sets the outside quickly, sealing in moisture and forming a browned crust.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (milk, sugar, egg, tea):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegthe original
- Gingerfits about as well
- Peppermintfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against milk, sugar, egg, tea. 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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