Why it works: Butter and white wine are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,083 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Pound 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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Cream the sugar and butter until smooth.
Beat the egg yolks and whites separately, then add them to the creamed mixture.
Stir in the white wine and any desired flavoring.
Sift the baking powder with the flour, then gradually add it to the mixture.
Mix well and pour into a greased baking pan.
Bake
Bake for 30 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.
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 + white winetop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,083 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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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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Egg + flourtop 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
- Eggs
- Whipped separately and folded in, they add structure and lift to the crumb.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and gives the cake its tender, rich texture.
- Sugar
- Creamed with butter, it adds sweetness and helps give the crumb its structure and browning.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cake's shape as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cake rise in the oven.
- White wine
- Adds moisture and a light acidity that adds aroma to the batter.
The step that matters
Beat the egg yolks and whites separately, then add them to the creamed mixture.. Whites beaten separately hold air that lightens the batter. Adding them gently, rather than deflating them, keeps the cake light and prevents a dense texture.
“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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