Why it works: Butter and milk match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and 81,222 recipes mention both. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
The recipe
Ingredients
Contains: egg, milk, wheat (auto-detected from the ingredients and method; we can miss things, so check labels)
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 the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Rub the butter into the flour, then add the currants and sugar, mixing well.
Whisk the eggs and stir them into the flour mixture along with the milk, in which the soda has been dissolved.
Beat the mixture thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
Bake
Divide the dough into two pieces and place them in buttered cake tins.
Bake for nearly 1 hour, checking for doneness by inserting a knife into the center; it should come out clean.
If the tops brown too quickly, cover them with a piece of clean white paper.
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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Butter + milktop 3% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together81,222 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + flourtop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Currant + milktop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together5,475 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Butter + curranttop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together7,855 recipes
Shared aroma: isoamyl acetate (banana, pear).
-
Flour + milktop 8% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together76,993 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour share little aroma chemistry, yet 122,858 recipes mention both: they likely 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
- Rubbed into the flour, it adds richness and a tender crumb.
- Flour
- Forms the main structure of the cake once it is mixed with liquid and baked.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and help it set into a firm, cake-like structure.
- Carbonate of soda
- Reacts with the acidity in the batter to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
- Milk
- Hydrates the flour and carries the dissolved soda through the batter, adding moisture.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cake brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Checking for doneness. Cakes with eggs and flour set as the proteins and starches cook through. Pulling the cake too early leaves a wet, sunken centre, so test with a knife in the middle.
Flavor stand-ins for the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, sugar, milk, egg):
- Vanillabetter flavor fit
- Raisinbetter flavor fit
- Figbetter flavor fit
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, sugar, milk, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).
“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.
You might also like
Illustration
Illustration
Illustration
IllustrationThe Sunday pairing: one pairing, the chemistry behind it, and how to cook it. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account for sign-in; Pro adds the full results and chemistry.