Why it works: Sherry and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Pound Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Beat the butter and sugar together until creamy.
Whisk the eggs until very light, then add them to the butter and sugar alternately with the flour.
Stir in the nutmeg and liquor, and beat the mixture vigorously for 10 to 15 minutes.
Bake
Line a baking pan with well-buttered parchment paper, pour in the mixture, and bake for about 1 hour.
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.
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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Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and lift when whisked, and set the crumb as the cake bakes.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the gluten network that gives the cake its body and sturdy crumb.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps create a light texture.
The step that matters
Beating the mixture vigorously after adding the liquor. Long, vigorous beating develops gluten in the flour and incorporates air, which affects the cake's final texture. Overbeating after the flour is added can make the crumb tough and dense.
Swap the nutmeg
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, egg, sherry, brandy):
- Cinnamonfits about as well
- Nutmegthe original
- Clovefits less well
- Capersfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, flour, egg, sherry, brandy. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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