IllustrationWhy it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and 9,071 recipes mention both. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. 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 quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
Make and bake the batter
In a large bowl, mix the flour, butter, sugar, eggs, caraway seeds, and raisin wine.
Beat the mixture well until smooth.
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown.
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.
The picture is an illustration, not a photo of this recipe · 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 aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.
-
Flour + raisintop 4% of all pairsAroma overlapstrongMentioned together9,071 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + carawaytop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together1,418 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Butter + winetop 5% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together8,517 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-furfurylthiol (coffee, roasted).
-
Flour + buttertop 6% of all pairsAroma overlaplowMentioned together122,858 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Sugar + raisintop 7% of all pairsAroma overlapmoderateMentioned together12,480 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour and butter 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender crumb and rich flavour.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps the crust brown.
- Raisin wine
- Adds moisture and fruity sweetness to the batter.
The step that matters
Beat the mixture well until smooth. Thorough beating combines the fat, sugar and eggs into an even emulsion, which gives the cake a uniform, fine texture. Unevenly mixed batter can bake up with dense pockets or streaks.
Flavor stand-ins for the caraway
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, egg, raisin, wine):
- Cinnamonbetter flavor fit
- Nutmegbetter flavor fit
- Gingerabout as good a flavor fit
- Carawaythe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, egg, raisin, wine. 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.