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 ↓
Ice Cream Cakes
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.
Make the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Gradually stir in the Madeira wine, beaten eggs, and cream alternately.
Mix thoroughly and then beat the batter vigorously with a clean wooden spatula.
Pour the batter into well-buttered small deep pans, filling them about two-thirds full.
Bake until the cakes are a delicate brown.
Remove from the pans and let cool upside down on a sieve.
Fill and serve
Once cool, make an incision in the side of each cake to create a hollow center.
Fill the cavity with your choice of ice cream using a salt spoon or the tip of a silver knife.
Close the opening immediately and place the cakes on a large flat dish.
Keep the cakes on ice until ready to serve.
Glaze the tops with beaten egg whites mixed with rose water.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + eggtop 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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Madeira wine + creamtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together146 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fresh butter
- Creams with the sugar to give the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and richness as the batter sets in the oven.
- Madeira wine
- Adds moisture and a distinctive aroma to the batter.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, keeping the cake tender.
The step that matters
Beat the batter vigorously. Vigorous beating incorporates air and develops the batter's structure, helping the small cakes rise and hold their hollow shape once cut.
“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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