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 ↓
Chocolate 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.
Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Add the egg yolks and milk, mixing well.
In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cake batter gently.
Bake and fill
Pour the batter into jelly‑cake tins and bake for 25‑30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
For the filling, beat the egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar. Mix in the grated chocolate and vanilla.
Spread the filling between the layers of the cooled cake.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and give the cake a tender crumb and rich flavor.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness, moisture, and emulsifying fat that helps bind the batter.
- Egg whites
- Beaten to stiff peaks and folded in, they lighten the batter and help it rise.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic ingredients to release gas that makes the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Stabilizes the whipped egg whites and works with baking soda to aid rising.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Stirring vigorously deflates the whipped whites and loses the air that lifts the batter. Folding gently with a spatula keeps the batter light so the cake rises evenly.
“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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