Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Fried Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Add sugar and egg yolks to cold milk and whisk until full of bubbles.
Sprinkle flour gradually while whisking.
When batter is stiff, beat in oil gradually.
Fold in stiffly-beaten egg whites.
Make the dough
Add flour for a rather stiff dough.
Set batter in a cold place for 2 hours or longer.
Shape and fry
Shape the batter into cakes and fry them like risen doughnuts.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Yolks enrich and emulsify the batter, while whipped whites add lightness and lift.
- Flour (in the method)
- Builds structure by setting with heat, giving the cakes a firm, sturdy body.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid that hydrates the flour and forms the batter's base.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown when fried.
- Oil (in the method)
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
The step that matters
Rest the batter in a cold place. Chilling firms the stiff batter and lets the flour fully hydrate, so the cakes hold their shape when shaped and fried.
“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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