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 ↓
Blueberry Cake
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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Mix in the molasses and sour cream (or milk).
Add the egg yolks and mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
In another bowl, combine the flour and baking soda, then gradually add to the batter.
Fold in the blueberries.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Serve hot.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Whites beaten to stiff peaks trap air, lifting the cake and giving it a light crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour cream and molasses to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark color and deep sweetness, along with acidity that activates the baking soda.
- Blueberries
- Add bursts of juicy fruit and moisture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Stiff whites hold the air that lifts the batter. Stirring vigorously deflates them and makes a dense cake, so fold gently until just combined.
“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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