Why it works: Vanilla and cinnamon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,287 recipes. Both carry 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, which smells sweet, anise. The science ↓
Devil's Food Waffles
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the flour, baking powder, beaten eggs, milk, and salt.
Beat the batter hard.
Pour in the melted chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Mix well.
Bake and serve
Bake in an electric waffle iron.
Serve immediately with whipped cream.
Top with chocolate sauce.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cinnamon.
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.
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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Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,287 recipes
Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and, creamed with butter, helps give a light crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the waffle together as it sets.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during cooking so the waffles rise and turn light.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Chocolate
- Adds deep chocolate flavour and color to the batter.
The step that matters
Beat the batter hard. Vigorous beating develops gluten in the flour, which can make the waffles tough and chewy rather than tender. Mix only until the batter is combined, and let the baking powder do the lifting.
“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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