Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 400°F (200°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 shortcake
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt.
Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in sugar and milk until just combined.
Spread the dough onto a floured surface and roll it out to about 1 inch thick.
Cut into a large round cake shape and place on a baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Prepare the strawberries
While the cake is baking, slice the strawberries and mix with ¼ cup sugar. Let sit to release juices.
Assemble and serve
Once the cake is cool, split it in half horizontally.
Layer strawberries between the halves and top with 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.
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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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the shortcake together as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the shortcake rises and becomes tender.
- Unsalted butter
- Cut into the flour to create flaky layers and a tender, rich texture.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour to form a dough and adds moisture and browning.
- Fresh strawberries
- Provide fruity acidity and juices that soak into the shortcake layers.
The step that matters
Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form. Keeping the butter in small, cold pieces creates steam pockets and flaky layers as it bakes. Overworking the dough melts the butter and makes the shortcake 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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