Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Caramel Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the cake
In a large bowl, cream one cup butter with two cups sugar until light. Add a scant cup milk, one and a half cups flour, one cup corn starch, the whites of seven eggs, and three teaspoons baking powder; mix until combined. Pour into a long pan and bake.
Make the caramel topping
In a saucepan, combine one-half pound brown sugar, a scant quarter pound chocolate, one-half cup milk, butter the size of an egg, and two teaspoons vanilla. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a stiff syrup. Spread the caramel sauce over the baked cake and return to the oven to dry.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 7 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Corn + vanillatop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,943 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Whites trap air and set during baking, giving the cake its structure.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and adds tenderness and richness.
- Flour
- Its proteins form the cake's structure as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, helping the cake rise.
- Corn starch
- Softens the crumb, making the cake more tender than flour alone.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and molasses flavour to the caramel topping.
The step that matters
Cooking the caramel to a stiff syrup. Stir constantly so the sugar heats evenly and does not scorch. Undercooked caramel stays runny and soaks into the cake, while overcooked sugar turns bitter and hard once it cools.
“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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