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 ↓
Golden Loaf Sugar
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very 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 mixing bowl.
Gradually add the sugar and beat until light.
Beat the egg yolks until light, then add cream of tartar and mix well.
Combine the butter mixture with the egg yolks.
Alternately add the milk, flour, and baking soda, mixing thoroughly.
Stir in the vanilla.
Bake
Pour the batter into a cake pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 50 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.
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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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and structure, helping the batter bind and set as it bakes.
- Granulated sugar
- Adds sweetness and, creamed with butter, traps air that lightens the crumb.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor, and creaming it with sugar aerates the batter.
- Pastry flour
- Provides the structure of the cake, with lower protein for a tender crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with acidic ingredients to release gas, helping the cake rise.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and liquid that hydrates the flour and dissolves the sugar.
The step that matters
Alternately add the milk, flour, and baking soda, mixing thoroughly.. Alternating dry and liquid additions keeps the batter emulsified and evenly hydrated. Mixing thoroughly without overbeating helps the cake rise evenly and keeps the crumb tender rather than tough.
“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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