Name: Corn Cake
Ingredients: one cupful of meal; one-half cupful of flour; one-half teaspoonful of salt; one tablespoonful of sugar; two teaspoonfuls of baking yolks 0f two eggs; one cupful of flour; one half teaspoonful of salt one cupful of buttermilk; one-half teaspoonful of soda one egg; one tables; two eggs; salt

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 ↓

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 + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together122,807 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Flour and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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

Cornmeal (in the method): Provides the coarse, grainy body and characteristic corn flavor of the cake.
Flour: Adds structure so the batter holds its shape as it bakes.
Eggs: Yolks add richness and help bind the batter and set its crumb.
Buttermilk: Adds moisture and tang that helps the batter stay tender.
Baking powder: Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises in the oven.
Baking soda: Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to add lift and aid browning.