Why it works: Fig and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 324 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Fig 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 the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Sprinkle some flour over the sliced figs.
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar together until creamy.
Add the sweet milk and mix well.
Sift the baking powder into the flour, then gradually add it to the mixture.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the batter.
Gently fold in the figs and vanilla.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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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Fig + vanillatop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together324 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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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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Milk + figtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,026 recipes
Shared aroma: methyl 2-methylbutyrate (fruity, apple).
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
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air and give the cake its light structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, causing the cake to rise.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness.
- Sugar
- Creaming with butter adds air, and it sweetens and helps browning.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Figs
- Add moisture, sweetness and flavor to the crumb.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Stiff egg whites hold the air that lightens the cake. Folding gently keeps that air in; stirring vigorously deflates the batter and produces a dense, heavy cake.
Swap the fig
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, milk, flour, egg, vanilla):
- Figthe original
- Raisinfits about as well
- Coconutfits about as well
- Blueberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, milk, flour, egg, vanilla. 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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