Name: Prize White Cup Cake
Ingredients: one cup of butter; four cups sifted flour; two cups of white sugar; one-half teaspoon soda; five eggs; one large

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 ↓

Prize White Cup Cake

one large or two small cakes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Beat the egg yolks until light, then add sugar and beat well, then add the beaten egg whites, alternating with sifted flour.
Mix the egg whites and flour very slowly and bake in a moderately heated oven at first, then finish with a hotter oven.

Bake and test

Test the cake with a straw or knife; when the dough doesn't stick, it is done.
Use flavoring to taste.
This will make one large or two small cakes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

684Calories

19 gProtein

18 gFat

108 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Home for the Friendless (Chicago, Ill.). 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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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).
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together118,967 recipes

Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together98,233 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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

Butter: Adds fat that makes the crumb tender and rich.
Flour: Provides the structure that holds the cake's shape as it bakes.
White sugar: Sweetens the cake and helps keep the crumb tender and moist.
Eggs: Whipped whites trap air for lift, while yolks add richness and structure.

The step that matters

Mix the egg whites and flour very slowly. Gentle folding keeps the air trapped in the beaten whites. That air expands in the oven and lifts the cake, so vigorous mixing would deflate the batter and leave a dense result.

“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.

White Cake431 recipes

Pound Cake373 recipes

Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes

Spice Cake344 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Prize White Cup Cake