Why it works: Rice and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 7,374 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Sift together the flour, ground rice, baking powder, and cocoa or chocolate.
Rub in the margarine, then add the sugar.
Stir in the milk with the egg yolk.
Gently fold in the whipped egg white.
Pour the batter into a well-greased tin and bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes to 1 hour.
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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Rice + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,374 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Flour + cocoa powdertop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,244 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Sugar + cocoa powdertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,920 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 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
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that sets the cake's crumb as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Ground rice
- Adds a slightly finer, more tender texture than flour alone.
- Margarine
- Adds fat that keeps the crumb moist and tender.
- Egg
- Binds the batter and, when whipped, adds air that helps the cake rise.
- Cocoa powder or chocolate
- Gives the cake its chocolate flavour and dark colour.
The step that matters
Gently fold in the whipped egg white. Whipped egg white holds air that lightens the batter. Vigorous stirring knocks that air out, so the cake rises less and turns denser.
“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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