Why it works: Buttermilk and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,973 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Corn Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Whip the egg yolks and whites separately until light.
Combine the buttermilk, melted butter, dissolved baking soda, sugar, and salt.
Gradually add cornmeal to create a thin batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into a shallow pan or small tins.
Bake for 30 minutes in a hot oven at 400°F (200°C).
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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Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Buttermilk + buttertop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whipped yolks and whites add lightness and help the cake hold air as it bakes.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda and adds tang and moisture.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in the buttermilk to release gas that makes the cake rise.
- Melted butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and richer flavor.
- Cornmeal
- Forms the body of the cake and gives it its grainy texture and corn flavor.
The step that matters
Combine the buttermilk and dissolved baking soda, then bake promptly. Baking soda reacts with the acid in buttermilk to release carbon dioxide, which lifts the batter. That gas forms as soon as the two meet, so the batter should go into the pan and oven without delay to keep the rise.
“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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