Why it works: Buttermilk and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,721 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Fried Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix buttermilk, sour cream, sugar, egg, baking soda, and salt.
Gradually add flour until a dough forms.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface.
Cut into desired shapes.
Fry and serve
Heat lard in a pan over medium-high heat.
Fry the cakes until golden brown on both sides.
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.
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Buttermilk + flourtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,721 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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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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Buttermilk + creamtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together674 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk and sour cream to produce gas, lifting the dough so the cakes puff and turn tender.
- Buttermilk
- Its acidity activates the baking soda and adds tang, while its moisture helps form a soft dough.
- Sour cream
- Adds fat and moisture, making the dough richer and more tender.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds structure and richness.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cakes brown in the pan.
- Lard
- Fat for frying that conducts heat and gives the cakes a crisp, golden crust.
The step that matters
Fry the cakes until golden brown on both sides. Oil or lard must be hot enough to brown the surface quickly. If the pan is too cool, the cakes absorb grease and turn heavy and greasy before they set and brown.
“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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