Name: Brown Stone Front
Ingredients: one-half cup of butter; one cup brown sugar; one-half cup of milk; one teaspoon soda; one cup chocolate; one-half cup milk; two cui; three eggs

Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,283 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓

Brown Stone Front

Ingredients

Directions

Combine one-half cup butter, one cup brown sugar, and one-half cup milk.
Combine two cups flour, one teaspoon soda, and yolks of three eggs.
Heat one cup chocolate, one cup brown sugar, and one-half cup milk to boiling point, then add to first mixture, then add the second.

By Shutt, William E., Mrs., [from old catalog] comp. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together15,404 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Milk + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together9,128 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
Butter + chocolatetop 16% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together10,543 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter: Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
Brown sugar: Adds sweetness, moisture and a caramel flavor.
Chocolate: Adds chocolate flavor, deep color and richness.
Flour (in the method): Provides the structure that sets the cake as it bakes.
Eggs: Yolks add richness and help bind the batter.
Soda: Reacts to help the batter rise and open up.