Cocoa Pudding

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.

1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together11,917 recipes

   Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

2. Cinnamon + raisintop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together5,390 recipes

   Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).

3. Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together5,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).

4. Cocoa + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together357 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

5. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together19,187 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

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

What each ingredient does

Eggs

Yolks thicken the custard and beaten whites lighten the pudding as it sets.

Bread crumbs

Absorb milk and thicken the base into a soft, sliceable body.

Milk

Forms the liquid base that the crumbs soften and the eggs set.

Cocoa

Provides chocolate flavour and colour to the pudding.

Sugar

Sweetens the custard and balances the bitterness of the cocoa.

Butter

Adds richness and a smooth, tender mouthfeel.

The step that matters

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (bread, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, raisin, nutmeg):

1. Almondfits better
2. Chestnutfits better
3. Pistachiofits better
4. Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against bread, milk, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, raisin, nutmeg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.