Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Railroad Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Separate the egg whites and yolks.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar to the egg whites and beat again.
Add the egg yolks to the mixture and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the baking powder with the flour.
Fold the mixture into the egg mixture.
Bake and roll
Line a square pan with buttered paper.
Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake until golden and set.
Turn the pudding onto a heated towel, buttered side up.
Remove the paper.
Spread a thick layer of jam or marmalade on top.
Roll the pudding up quickly.
Serve
Serve with sweetened whipped cream flavored with vanilla.
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 + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Eggs
- Whipped into stiff peaks, they give the sponge its light, airy structure.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps stabilize the beaten egg whites.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the starch that sets the sponge so it can hold its shape when rolled.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, helping the sponge rise and stay tender.
- Jam or marmalade
- Adds sweetness, moisture and fruity flavor to the filling inside the rolled sponge.
The step that matters
Roll the pudding up quickly. The sponge is hot and pliable only briefly after baking. Rolling it while warm keeps it from cracking, while cooling makes it stiff and prone to breaking.
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, flour, butter, cream):
- Vanillathe original
- Raisinfits about as well
- Coconutfits less well
- Figfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, flour, butter, cream. 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.
You might also like
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 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.