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 ↓
110 Cracker Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Stir in the grated chocolate, pecans, cracker crumbs, milk, baking powder, and vanilla until well combined.
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Bake and serve
Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool before icing with caramel if desired.
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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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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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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Pecans + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,691 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Bind the batter and add structure as they set during baking.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps cream the butter for a light crumb.
- Cracker crumbs
- Provide the bulk and body of the cake in place of flour.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and stays light.
- Sweet chocolate
- Adds flavor and richness and melts into the batter as it bakes.
The step that matters
Creaming the butter and sugar. Beating them together traps air in the fat, which helps the cake rise and gives a lighter crumb. Under-creaming leaves a denser cake.
Swap the pecans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, chocolate, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla):
- Almondfits about as well
- Pecansthe original
- Cocoafits about as well
- Hazelnutfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, chocolate, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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