Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Cocoanut Bae
Ingredients
Directions
Bake and cut
Bake a white cake in a dripper.
When cold, cut into squares a pretty size for the cake basket.
Frost and coat
Have ready a good supply of frosting made with pulverized sugar (boiled will not do, as it hardens before you can use it).
Pour a box of grated cocoanut into a shallow dish.
Take a square of the cake on a fork, and with a spoon, cover it on all sides with the frosting.
Roll in the cocoanut until it is covered.
Put near the fire to dry.
Assemble
When dry, fill your cake basket with the bars.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| 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.
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + flourtop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 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
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and softness, and helps the cake brown and stay moist.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavour.
- Sifted flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cake together.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Eggs
- Add structure and help bind the batter while setting in the oven.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture and helps the batter blend into a smooth mixture.
The step that matters
Make the frosting with pulverized sugar, not boiled sugar. Boiled sugar syrup sets as it cools and stiffens quickly, so it hardens before you can spread it. Uncooked powdered sugar frosting stays spreadable long enough to coat each square evenly.
“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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