One-egg Chocolate 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. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together41,516 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

3. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

4. Milk + cocoatop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together643 recipes

   Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).

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

Flour

Provides the main structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.

Egg

Binds the batter and adds structure as its proteins set during baking.

Butter

Adds fat that makes the crumb tender and rich.

Sugar

Adds sweetness and helps the cake brown during baking.

Cocoa

Supplies the chocolate flavour and dark colour of the cake.

Baking soda (in the method)

Reacts with the acidic cream tartar to release gas that lifts the cake.

Swap the clove

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

1. Cinnamonfits better
2. Nutmegfits better
3. Turmericfits better
4. Clovethe original

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