Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat one-quarter pound of butter to a cream.
Stir in six egg yolks, one at a time.
Add a quarter pound of fine sweet chocolate grated.
Add a cup of blanched almonds, chopped fine.
Add six tablespoonfuls of granulated sugar.
Add one tablespoonful of citron cut very fine.
Finish and cook
Beat six egg whites to a stiff froth.
Stir in the froth at the last.
Pour into a mould.
Boil for three-quarters of an hour.
Serve hot with whipped cream poured around it, or any fine sauce served in a sauceboat.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Almond | 1 almond (1.2g) | 7 |
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.
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + almondtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creams with the sugar and carries richness and a tender texture.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and help bind the pudding as it sets.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a stiff froth, they trap air and lighten the pudding.
- Chocolate (in the method)
- Supplies the main flavour of the pudding.
- Almonds
- Add chopped texture and a nutty flavour.
- Granulated sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the bitterness of the chocolate.
The step that matters
Stir in the froth at the last. Whipped egg whites hold air that makes the pudding light. Folding them in gently keeps that air; vigorous stirring deflates the foam and leaves a dense pudding.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, cream, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Pecansfits about as well
- Filbertfits less well
- Pistachiofits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, cream, egg. 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.
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