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 ↓
A Solimemne
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the leaven
From three-quarters of a pound of flour, take three ounces for the leaven and make it into a lithe paste with half an ounce of solid, well-washed yeast, mixed with two or three tablespoons of warm cream or new milk; cover with a cloth and leave near the fire to rise for about half an hour or until it is twice its original size.
Make and rise the dough
In the meantime, make a hollow in the centre of the remaining flour and put into it a quarter of an ounce of fine salt, one ounce of pounded sugar, the yolks of four fresh eggs, four ounces of lukewarm butter, and a couple of tablespoons of warm cream.
Mix the whole gently and carefully into a perfectly smooth paste, flatten it with the hand upon the dresser, spread the leaven over it, and blend them thoroughly with light kneading as directed for brioche paste; the whole should be of the same colour throughout.
Put the dough into a small, well-buttered copper stewpan or plain cake mould, and let it remain in a moderately warm place until it has risen to double its original size.
Bake and serve
With a paste‑brush or feather, wash the top with beaten egg, and without disturbing it, set it into a tolerably quick oven and bake it nearly or quite an hour; do not allow it to be too deeply coloured.
Turn it from the mould, cut it once or twice asunder, pour over the slices plenty of good butter just dissolved in a small saucepan, put the cake together again, and serve it immediately.
It may be converted into an excellent entremets by spreading currant or other fine jelly or preserve quickly upon it when it is cut, and sifting sugar thickly on the top after it is restored to its proper form; it is then called a Dresden cake.
It will be many hours rising; sometimes as many as six or eight. If wanted for breakfast it should be made overnight.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 6 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Eggs | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
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 + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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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
- Flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the cake its structure and crumb.
- Yeast (in the method)
- Produces gas as it ferments, raising the dough so it becomes light and airy.
- Eggs
- Add richness, colour and structure, and the beaten egg wash browns the top.
- Butter
- Adds richness and tenderness, and the dissolved butter poured over the slices moistens the cake.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the crust brown during baking.
The step that matters
Bake without over-colouring. The cake is baked in a moderately quick oven for nearly an hour. Too much heat browns the crust before the interior sets, so the top should be watched and kept pale.
“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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