Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Fruit Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Combine molasses, sweet milk, melted butter, raisins, currants, flour, and soda, then mix well.
Add salt and spice to taste.
Steam
Steam for two hours.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Grape | 1/2 cup (76g) | 62 |
| Molasses | 1 tbsp (20g) | 58 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| 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.
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.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Molasses + flourtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,429 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Butter + curranttop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,856 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Molasses + curranttop 21% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,817 recipes
-
Flour + curranttop 26% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together8,077 recipes
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness, moisture and a dark, rich flavour to the pudding.
- Butter
- Adds fat, which gives the pudding a tender, moist crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding together as it sets.
- Currants
- Add sweetness, chewy texture and pockets of fruit flavour.
- Soda
- Reacts with the acidity of molasses to release gas, helping the pudding rise and lighten.
The step that matters
Mix the soda evenly into the batter. Baking soda only lifts the batter where it is well distributed, and it reacts with the acidic molasses to release gas. Thorough mixing gives an even rise and avoids dense or patchy spots.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (molasses, butter, flour):
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against molasses, butter, flour. 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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