Why it works: Egg and milk 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 ↓
Cake and Custard, and Various Other Inexpensive Puddings
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the custard and cake
Lightly break up or crumble the remains of a sponge or Savoy cake, optionally mixing with broken ratifias or macaroons.
Whisk four eggs into a pint of milk (use three eggs if the milk is very large and fresh) to make a lightly sweetened custard.
Add any desired flavorings to the custard.
Pour the custard over the cake mixture at least half an hour before baking.
Bake
Bake the mixture in a gentle oven.
If using other ingredients such as sweet rice, Arocē Docē, macaroni, or sago, mix them evenly with the custard before baking.
Variations
For macaroni pudding, boil macaroni tender in milk or milk and water, then mix with warm custard.
For sago pudding, stew sago very thick, then mix with warm custard.
Heat two ounces of well washed ingredient slowly in a pint of liquid for 15–20 minutes.
Serve
Serve when the pudding is firm in the centre and does not stick to a knife.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
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.
-
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard when heated, giving the pudding its firm, sliceable structure.
- Milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard and moistens the cake.
- Sponge or savoy cake (in the method)
- Soaks up the custard, giving the pudding a soft, bread-like body.
The step that matters
Judge when the pudding is set. The egg proteins in the custard set as they heat. Underbaked pudding stays liquid in the centre, while overbaking makes the custard grainy and watery, so check firmness and a clean knife before serving.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.