Why it works: Butter and flour are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 12% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 124,287 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Pound Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter and line the pans.
In a bowl, measure the sugar, flour, brandy, and mace.
Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.
Make the batter
Beat the butter until creamy, then gradually add the sugar until light and fluffy.
Mix in the brandy and mace, then add the beaten yolks.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture, alternating with the flour.
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 50 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.
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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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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 cake its tender, rich crumb.
- Sugar
- Creamed with butter, it helps create a light, fluffy structure and adds sweetness.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as the batter sets in the oven.
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and emulsify the batter, while whipped whites add lift and airy texture.
- Brandy
- Adds moisture and aroma to the batter.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Whites hold air only while whipped, so folding gently, alternating with the flour, keeps the batter light. Overmixing deflates the foam and produces a denser cake.
Swap the mace
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, egg, brandy):
- Cinnamonfits better
- Nutmegfits better
- Capersfits better
- Macethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, flour, egg, brandy. 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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