Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Pecan Cream Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cake
Separate the yolks of eight eggs.
Whisk the yolks with one cup of sugar.
Add one cup of flour.
Add a tablespoonful of melted butter.
Add half cup thick sour cream.
Add nearly a teaspoonful of soda.
Bake the batter in layers.
Make the pecan cream
Whisk one cup sugar with three-fourths cup pecan meats cut fine, one cup of cream, and a tablespoonful of corn starch.
Boil the mixture until thick.
Let it cool.
Assemble
Spread the cooled cream between the layers.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
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.
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked 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
- Eggs
- Yolks provide richness, structure and colour to the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake's layers together.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and acidity, tenderising the crumb.
- Soda (in the method)
- Reacts with the acidic sour cream to help the cake rise.
- Corn starch (in the method)
- Thickens the pecan cream as it boils.
- Pecan meats (in the method)
- Add nutty flavour and texture to the filling.
The step that matters
Boil the pecan cream until thick. Cornstarch only thickens fully once it boils, and the cream must be thick enough to spread without running off the layers. Undercooked starch stays thin, so the filling can slide out when cut.
“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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