Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Cream Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the puffs
Melt 1 ounce of butter in 1 pint of water over heat.
When boiling, beat in 4 ounces of flour and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and beat in 6 eggs, 2 at a time, until well mixed.
Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto a buttered and floured baking sheet.
Brush the tops with beaten egg and bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) for about 30 minutes.
Make the cream and fill
Cool, cut open one side, and fill with Pastry Cooks' Cream.
For the cream, mix 2 ounces of corn starch, 2 ounces of powdered sugar, and the yolks of 2 eggs in a saucepan.
Gradually stir in 1 pint of milk and cook over heat, stirring constantly, until it boils for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat, flavor with 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence, and pour into a bowl to cool before filling the puffs.
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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Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Corn + vanillatop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,943 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Corn + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,955 recipes
Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).
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
- Set the batter and give the puffs structure and a hollow, airy interior as they bake.
- Flour
- Forms the starch paste that gives the batter body and helps the puffs hold their shape.
- Butter
- Adds fat that softens the dough and contributes to a tender crumb and browning.
- Corn starch
- Thickens the milk into a smooth, sliceable cream when heated.
- Milk
- Provides the liquid base and moisture for the cream filling.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cream filling and balances the flavor of the vanilla.
The step that matters
Beating in the eggs. Eggs must be added gradually so each addition is fully absorbed into the warm paste. Adding them too quickly leaves the batter thin or lumpy, so the puffs may not rise or hold their shape.
“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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