St. Michael's Corn Cakes

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.

1. Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together43,450 recipes

   Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

2. Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together78,219 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

3. Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together92,116 recipes

   Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).

4. Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together106,462 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Cream + milktop 18% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together29,399 recipes

   Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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

Cornmeal

Provides the main body and coarse, grainy texture of the cakes.

Flour

Adds gluten-forming structure so the cakes hold together when cooked.

Eggs

Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set in the heat.

Homemade yeast

Ferments the batter during the rest, producing gas that lightens the cakes.

Baking soda

Reacts with the acid in the batter to release gas that helps the cakes rise.

Cream of tartar

Supplies acid that reacts with the baking soda to help the cakes rise.

The step that matters