Why it works: Flour and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 106,462 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Cup Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat butter and sugar to a cream.
Add three eggs beaten very light, two cups of flour, one teaspoon of soda, and three teaspoons of cream of tartar.
Dissolve each separately in a little milk.
Mix them just before putting them in the pan.
Finish and bake
Beat the whites of four eggs until very light.
Add one teaspoon of flour, either wheat or rice.
Season with rose water or lemon.
Bake on buttered tins or paper.
Bake for an hour and a half.
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.
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
-
Egg + creamtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
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
- Beaten eggs add structure and lift to the batter as they set in the oven.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Soda
- Reacts with the acid in the batter to release gas, helping the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidic ingredient that reacts with the soda to help the cake rise and stay light.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat for tenderness and richness in the crumb.
The step that matters
Mix them just before putting them in the pan.. The soda and cream of tartar begin reacting as soon as they are wet, releasing gas. If the batter waits, much of that lift is lost before baking, leaving a flatter cake.
“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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