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 ↓
Bavarian Cream
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Soak the gelatine in cold water for 2 hours.
Whip the cream until you have ½ cup liquid left.
Add ½ cup milk to the remaining cream and heat until scalded.
Make the custard
Beat the egg yolks, then add the sugar and salt.
Pour the scalded milk over the yolks, return to heat, and cook until thick like custard, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat, add the gelatine, strain, and set in a pan of ice.
Set and serve
Stir occasionally; when it begins to thicken, fold in the whipped cream.
Set the mixture in a mold on the ice.
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.
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
-
Cream + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together29,399 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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
- Egg yolks
- Thicken the custard and add richness as they set when gently cooked.
- Gelatine
- Sets the cream so it holds its shape when chilled and unmolded.
- Cream
- Whipped to add airy lightness and a smooth, rich texture.
- Milk
- Forms the base custard with the yolks, providing liquid and body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and balances the richness of the cream and yolks.
The step that matters
Cooking the custard until thick. Egg yolks thicken as they heat, but overheating can curdle them. Stir constantly and stop once the custard coats a spoon, so it stays smooth and thick enough to hold the gelatine and whipped cream.
“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 bavarian cream recipes
You might also like
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 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.