Lemon Cake

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. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

2. Lemon + teatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together610 recipes

   Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

3. Milk + teatop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together738 recipes

   Shared aroma: 4-heptenal (creamy, biscuit).

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

Eggs

Add structure and richness, helping the cake set and hold its crumb.

Butter

Adds fat for tenderness and a richer, softer crumb.

Lard

Adds fat that keeps the crumb tender and moist.

Flour

Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it sets.

Baking ammonia

Acts as a leavener, helping the cake rise and lighten in the oven.

Swap the lemon

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, milk, egg, flour, tea):

1. Vanillafits better
2. Raisinfits better
3. Figfits about as well
4. Lemonthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, milk, egg, flour, tea. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.