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 ↓
Fruit 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
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar.
Add the eggs and mix well.
Stir in the sour milk and molasses.
Dissolve the baking soda in a small amount of water and add it to the mixture.
Fold in the raisins and spices.
Bake
Pour the batter into two greased loaf pans.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + molassestop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,225 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Molasses + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,577 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
-
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Milk + raisintop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,155 recipes
Shared aroma: decanoic acid (acides aroma).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and moisture as the cake sets.
- Sour milk
- Its acidity reacts with the baking soda to lift the batter and tenderise the crumb.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses to produce gas that makes the cake rise.
- Molasses
- Adds moisture, dark colour and a deep sweetness and aroma.
- Raisins
- Add chewy pieces of fruit and natural sweetness throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Dissolving the baking soda. Baking soda must be fully dissolved and evenly mixed so it reacts with the acidic sour milk and molasses across the whole batter. Clumps cause bitter pockets and uneven rising.
Swap the raisin
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, milk, sugar, molasses):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinthe original
- Figfits about as well
- Peachfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, milk, sugar, molasses. 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.
More fruit cake recipes
You might also like
Molasses Cookies96 recipes
Molasses Cake90 recipes
Molasses Sponge Cake9 recipes
White Cake431 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.