Name: Steamed Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients: 2 cup granulated sugar; 1 tablespoon melted butter; 1 pinch salt; 2 cups flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 teaspoon vanilla; 1 egg

Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓

Steamed Chocolate Pudding

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

Add 2 cups granulated sugar and 1 egg.
Add 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 pinch salt.
Add 2 cups sweet milk and 2 cups flour.
Add 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/2 cup cocoa.

Steam

Steam for 1 hour. See Sauce No. 7.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

696Calories

19 gProtein

18 gFat

109 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Hamilton, Ohio. First Methodist Episcopal church. [from old catalog]. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together19,241 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together20,050 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together92,116 recipes

Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

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

Flour: Forms the main structure that holds the pudding together as it sets.
Egg: Binds the batter and helps it set firm while steaming.
Baking powder: Releases gas that lightens the batter and helps it rise.
Butter: Adds fat that makes the pudding feel richer and more tender.
Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps keep the pudding moist and tender.