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 ↓
Jam Pudding
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 the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the beaten eggs and mix well.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and nutmeg, then gradually add to the mixture.
Stir in the milk and raspberry jam until well combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Bake for about 30-35 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.
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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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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + raspberrytop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,014 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and gives the pudding a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness as they set during baking, holding the crumb together.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the batter bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas when heated, lifting the batter so it rises and stays light.
- Raspberry jam
- Adds sweetness, moisture and fruity flavour throughout the pudding.
The step that matters
Adding the flour and baking powder gradually. Adding flour gradually and mixing only until combined keeps the batter smooth and prevents overworking the gluten, which would make the pudding tough. Sifting the baking powder evenly distributes it so the rise is consistent.
Swap the raspberry
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, egg, milk, nutmeg):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Raspberrythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, flour, egg, milk, nutmeg. 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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