Name: _i Never Knew What Prunes and Apricots Could Do Until--_
Ingredients: 1/2 cup shortening 1-1/2 cups sugar grated rind of 1/2 orange 1 egg; 1-1/2 cups sugar grated rind of 1/2 orange 1 egg; 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons royal baking powder 1 cup milk 1-1/2 squares; 4 teaspoons royal baking powder 1 cup milk 1-1/2 squares; 1 cup milk 1-1/2 squares; 3 tablespoons melted butter 3 cups confectioner's sugar 3 squares; 3 cups confectioner's sugar 3 squares; 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 egg white grated rind of 1/2 orange; 2-1/2 squares unsweetened chocolate which has been melted; two fruit-foods; 25 respectively; one name from each person will be considered; 1/2 orange 1 egg; 1 egg; 1 yolk 2-1/3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons royal baking powder 1 cup; 2-1/3 cups flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons royal baking powder 1 cup milk 1; 1-1/2 squares; 1-1/2 ozs; one beaten egg white; two parts; one part add the chocolate; three greased layer cake pans; 20 min; 3 squares; 3 ozs; 1 egg white grated rind of 1/2 orange; 1/2 orange; 1 orange put butter; 1/2 square; salt

Why it works: Milk and butter 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 ↓

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.

Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together81,283 recipes

Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together124,287 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together15,404 recipes

Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Milk + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together9,128 recipes

Shared aroma: gamma-nonanolactone (coconut, sweet).
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

Shortening: Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries the orange flavour.
Eggs: Egg yolks enrich the batter, and the beaten white adds lift and structure.
Flour: Forms the cake's main structure once set by heat.
Royal baking powder: Releases gas in the batter so the layers rise in the oven.
Unsweetened chocolate: Provides chocolate flavour and colour in both the batter and the icing.
Confectioner's sugar: Sweetens the icing and gives it a smooth, spreadable body.

The step that matters

Folding in the beaten egg white. Folding gently keeps the air in the whipped white, which helps the batter rise lightly. Stirring hard knocks out the air and leaves a dense cake.

Swap the orange

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

Vanillafits better
Raisinfits better
Coconutfits better
Orangethe original

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

“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.

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Orange	1 medium (131g)	62
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Cake	not in our table	0

_i Never Knew What Prunes and Apricots Could Do Until--_