Name: Marsh Mallow Cake
Ingredients: one cup sugar; one cup flour; one teaspoonful vanilla; half pint cream; half cups sugar; half cup butter; two cups flour; two teaspoons bak- ing powder; two cups sugar; one cup milk; one teaspoonful sweet milk; one teaspoonful baking pow- der; two tablespoonfuls of sugar; one teaspoonful of cornstarch; a cup of milk; one angel cake cut in half; two layers; two inch filling; three eggs beaten separately; five tablespoon- fuls hot water; one tea- spoonful baking powder; four eggs; one orange; three eggs; two eggs; two oranges; one lemon

Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

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 + milktop 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).
Cream + buttertop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together41,516 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

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

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together43,450 recipes

Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

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

Angel cake: Provides a light, airy, tender base for the layers.
Marshmallows (in the method): Soften into the cream filling, adding sweetness and a soft, chewy texture.
Whipped cream: Adds moisture and richness, and forms a smooth coating over the cake.

“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.

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
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Lemon	juice of 1 lemon (48ml)	12
Cake	not in our table	0
Water	not in our table	0

Marsh Mallow Cake