Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Loaf 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.
Make the batter
Cream the butter in a bowl.
Add the sugar and mix until creamy.
Beat in the egg yolks for 5 minutes, then gradually add the water.
Beat for 5 to 10 minutes and mix in the flavoring.
Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together four times.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter, mixing thoroughly for 5 minutes.
Grease a baking pan and beat the batter again for a few minutes.
Finish and bake
Whisk the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter.
Pour the batter into a paper-lined tin, filling it a little over half full.
Smooth the top and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 50 to 60 minutes.
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.
-
Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Butter and flour 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and give the cake a tender, rich texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps the creamed butter hold air for a light crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, and whipped whites help lift the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the cake's structure as its proteins set during baking.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven so the cake rises and becomes lighter.
The step that matters
Folding in the stiff egg whites. Whipped whites hold air that makes the cake light. Stirring them vigorously deflates the foam and produces a dense, flat loaf, so fold gently until just combined.
“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.
More loaf cake recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.