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 ↓
Layer 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.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the beaten eggs and milk, mixing well.
Sift in the flour and baking powder.
Add the vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Divide the batter into three equal portions.
Color and bake
If desired, color one portion pink and another brown by adding cocoa or chocolate.
Pour the batter into three greased cake tins.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) until a toothpick comes out clean.
Finish
Once cooled, fill the layers with lemon filling.
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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Vanilla + chocolatetop 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).
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Vanilla + cocoa powdertop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,189 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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
- Flour
- Forms the main structure that holds the cake's shape as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender crumb, and traps air when creamed with sugar.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps create a light texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the layers rise.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter for even baking.
The step that matters
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beating butter and sugar together traps air in the fat, which expands in the oven and gives the cake its lift and a fine, even crumb. Stopping early leaves a denser layer.
“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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