Grand Duke Cake

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.

1. Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairs
   Smell alikestrong
   Cooked together9,075 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

2. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

3. Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together9,225 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Raisin + molassestop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together3,577 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

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

Provides the starch and gluten network that gives the cake its structure.

Butter

Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.

Eggs

Bind the batter and add structure as their proteins set during baking.

Baking powder

Releases gas when it reacts with liquid and heat, helping the cake rise.

Cornstarch

Dilutes the flour's gluten, giving a finer, more tender crumb.

Molasses

Adds moisture, deep sweetness and colour to the batter.

The step that matters

Swap the raisin

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

1. Raisinthe original
2. Vanillafits about as well
3. Figfits less well
4. Peachfits less well

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