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 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Mix sugar and shortening in a bowl.
Add the egg and beat until creamy.
Stir in the melted chocolate and remaining ingredients.
Beat the mixture for about 5 minutes.
Bake
Pour into a greased cake pan and bake at 300°F (150°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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Provides the structure that holds the cake's crumb together as it sets.
- Egg
- Adds structure and binds the batter, helping it set when baked.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps keep the crumb tender and moist.
- Shortening
- Adds fat that coats flour particles, tenderizing the cake's texture.
- Sour milk
- Adds moisture and acidity, which reacts with the baking soda to aid rising.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the sour milk to produce gas that lifts the cake.
The step that matters
Beating the batter for about 5 minutes. Beating develops the flour's gluten and traps air, which shapes the crumb. Beat for the stated time rather than longer, since extra beating toughens the cake and can make it 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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