Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Taylor Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a bowl, cream together the brown sugar and lard or butter.
Beat in the eggs and cinnamon until well combined.
Stir in the molasses and thick milk.
Dissolve the baking soda in a little hot water and add it to the mixture.
Gradually mix in the flour until just combined.
Bake
Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Cinnamon + flourtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Cinnamon + milktop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
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Sugar + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together30,779 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar and cinnamon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 30,779 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
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the molasses and milk to produce gas that lifts the batter as it bakes.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together once the batter sets.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set in the oven.
- New orleans molasses
- Adds deep sweetness, dark colour and moisture, and its acidity works with the baking soda.
- Lard or butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and helps trap air when creamed with the sugar.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture and helps the cake brown.
The step that matters
Dissolve the baking soda in hot water before adding it. Baking soda must be fully dissolved so it spreads evenly through the batter. Undissolved pockets can leave bitter, soapy spots and uneven rising.
“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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