Why it works: Butter and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Marlborough Pudding
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a steady oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Layer the cakes
Cut 2 sponge cakes lengthwise through the middle and lay them in a pie dish cut side up.
Melt the jam and water in a pan and spread it over the cakes.
Lay the other cake on top and spread the remaining jam over it.
Make the filling and bake
Beat the butter and sugar until creamy, then add the egg yolks and a few drops of flavouring essence, mixing well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the mixture.
Carefully spread the mixture over the sponge cakes.
Bake in a steady oven at 350°F (175°C) until set and brown on top.
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 + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Butter + sugartop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Penny spongecakes
- Provides a light, absorbent base that holds the jam and the custard-style layer.
- Jam
- Adds sweetness, moisture and fruity flavour between the layers.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture when creamed with sugar.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps trap air when beaten with the butter.
- Eggs
- Yolks enrich and set the filling; whipped whites lighten it and help it firm up in the oven.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whites beaten until stiff hold the air that lightens the filling. Folding gently keeps that air in, so the layer rises and sets softly rather than turning dense or flat.
“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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