IllustrationWhy it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and 3,667 recipes mention both. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
Directions
Combine sugar, buttermilk, eggs, flour, butter, and flavoring to taste.
Bake with 1 crust.
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.
The picture is an illustration, not a photo of this recipe · Contact us to use it
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.
-
Buttermilk + flourtop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together3,667 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + buttermilktop 6% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Flour + eggtop 8% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together104,138 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 10% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together89,462 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Sugar + eggtop 10% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together122,252 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Flour and egg share little aroma chemistry, yet 104,138 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the filling its smooth, rich body.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and a mild tang that balances the sweetness.
- Flour
- Thickens the filling and gives it a more stable texture.
- Eggs
- Set during baking to firm the filling into a sliceable custard.
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.