Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Graham Cracker Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the beaten egg yolks and mix well.
Dissolve the baking soda in the sour milk and add to the mixture.
Stir in the crushed graham crackers and vanilla.
Fold in the beaten egg whites gently.
Pour the batter into two greased cake pans.
Bake and finish
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool and layer with butter or pineapple filling or whipped cream.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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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).
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Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together20,050 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich the batter and whites, folded in, lighten its structure as it bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour milk's acid to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and tenderizes the crumb.
- Graham crackers
- Crushed crumbs add a toasted, wheaty flavor and body to the batter.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender texture when creamed with butter.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender crumb.
The step that matters
Fold in the beaten egg whites gently. Egg whites hold air that gives the cake lift. Stirring vigorously knocks that air out, leaving a denser cake, so fold with a light hand until just combined.
“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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