Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
A Rich Plum Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make the batter
In a bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Sift the flour and baking powder together, then gradually mix into the creamed mixture.
Fold in the sultanas and milk until just combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into a prepared cake pan and bake in the preheated oven.
After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking for another 30 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.
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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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 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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Egg + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + milktop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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
- Margarine
- Creaming with sugar traps air and gives the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Add structure and richness, binding the batter as it sets in the oven.
- Millennium flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake as its proteins and starch set during baking.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cake rise and become light.
- Sultanas
- Add sweetness, chewy texture and moisture to the finished cake.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter so it bakes evenly.
The step that matters
Folding in the sultanas and milk. Mixing too vigorously once the flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cake tough. Fold only until just combined so the crumb stays tender.
“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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