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 ↓
Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the sponge
In a large bowl, stir mashed potatoes into milk.
Add dissolved yeast, salt, and 2 cups of flour to make a stiff sponge.
Beat thoroughly for 5 minutes, cover, and let sit in a warm place overnight.
Make the dough
In the morning, add the beaten egg, ½ cup softened butter, and enough flour to knead until the dough no longer sticks to your hands.
Roll the dough to 1 inch thickness and spread it in 2 large shallow tins or 4 smaller round ones.
Cover lightly and let rise in a warm place for 30-40 minutes.
Top and bake
When very light, punch holes nearly to the bottom using a floured knife handle.
Place a piece of diced butter in each hole.
Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 1 cup of brown sugar and scatter over the dough.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes.
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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Beef + potatotop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,052 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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Potato + milktop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,611 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Beef + milktop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,759 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-hexanal (fruit).
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
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the dough so it holds its shape while rising and baking.
- Yeast
- Ferments the sponge, producing gas that makes the dough rise and turn light.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and richness, and melts into pockets for a moist crumb.
- Brown sugar
- Sweetens the topping and caramelizes slightly for flavor and browning.
- Mashed potatoes
- Adds moisture and starch that keep the cake soft and tender.
- Egg
- Binds the dough and adds richness and structure.
The step that matters
Letting the dough rise until very light. Yeast needs enough time in a warm place to produce gas; underproofed dough bakes dense, while overproofed dough can collapse and lose its structure.
Swap the potato
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, beef, flour, sugar, milk, egg):
- Potatothe original
- Leekfits about as well
- Chivefits about as well
- Asparagusfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, beef, flour, sugar, milk, egg. 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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