Why it works: Flour and butter 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 ↓
White Pound Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg whites and mix well.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and gradually add to the mixture, stirring until combined.
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake in the preheated oven, gradually increasing the heat to 350°F (175°C) until a toothpick comes out clean.
Make the icing and finish
For the icing, boil 3 cups of sugar with 1 cup of water until clear.
Beat 3 egg whites to stiff peaks, then slowly pour the boiling sugar mixture over them while beating continuously for 10 minutes.
Frost the cake while both the cake and icing are still warm.
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.
-
Flour + buttertop 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).
-
Flour + eggtop 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).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cake's crumb as it bakes.
- Egg whites
- Add moisture and structure to the batter, helping bind and set the crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps create a light texture.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking, helping the cake rise.
The step that matters
Pouring the boiling sugar syrup into the egg whites. The syrup must be poured slowly while beating constantly. Pouring too fast can deflate the whipped whites, and the hot syrup cooks them into a stable, glossy icing.
“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 pound cake recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipes
Tapioca Pudding317 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.