Why it works: Buttermilk and sugar match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,973 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Fried Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
In a bowl, mix the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, baking soda, melted lard, and salt until smooth.
Heat oil in a pan over medium heat.
Fry and serve
Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides.
Remove and drain on paper towels before serving.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Buttermilk + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together2,973 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + buttermilktop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,986 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure to the cakes as they set in the hot oil.
- Buttermilk
- Adds moisture and tang, and reacts with the baking soda to help the cakes rise.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cakes and helps them brown evenly in the frying oil.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic buttermilk to release gas, lightening the batter so the cakes rise.
- Melted lard
- Adds fat for richness and tenderness in the finished cakes.
The step that matters
Frying the spoonfuls in hot oil. The oil must be hot enough to set the outside quickly. If it is too cool, the batter soaks up oil and turns greasy, and the centre may stay raw before the surface browns.
“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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