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 ↓
Chocolate 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 the batter
Dissolve the chocolate in 5 tablespoons of boiling water.
Cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar while beating constantly.
Separate the eggs; beat the yolks and add them to the butter and sugar mixture.
Add the milk, melted chocolate, vanilla, sifted flour, and baking powder to the mixture. Beat the mixture thoroughly.
Beat the egg whites to a stiff froth and quickly stir them into the mixture.
Bake
Pour the batter into greased cake pans and bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) until done.
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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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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Milk + buttertop 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 + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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 stiffly beaten whites add lift and a light crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cake as it bakes.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a tender, fine texture when creamed with butter.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises in the oven.
- Chocolate
- Gives the cake its chocolate flavour and color.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Stiff whites hold the air that lifts the cake. Stirring them in quickly and gently keeps that air from collapsing, so the cake stays light instead of dense.
“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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