Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Fried Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix together the sugar, cream, buttermilk, and eggs until well combined.
Add flavoring to taste, then stir in the baking soda and cream of tartar.
Gradually add flour until the dough is soft but not sticky.
Fry and drain
Heat oil in a pan and drop spoonfuls of the dough into the hot oil.
Fry until golden brown on both sides, then remove and drain on paper towels.
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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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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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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Cream + buttermilktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as the dough sets.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and cream of tartar to produce gas that lifts the cakes.
- Cream of tartar
- Adds acidity that activates the baking soda and helps give a tender, even crumb.
- Buttermilk
- Adds acidity and moisture, and tenderizes the dough.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the dough together and sets as it fries.
The step that matters
Fry until golden brown on both sides. The oil must be hot enough to brown the outside quickly. If it is too cool, the cakes soak up oil and turn greasy before the centre cooks through.
“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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