Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Corn Cake
Ingredients
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
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter in a mixing bowl.
Add the eggs and sugar, then mix in part of the milk.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, maize, baking powder, and salt.
Make the batter
Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with the remaining milk.
Pour the batter into a greased baking dish.
Bake and serve
Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Cut into pieces and serve with golden syrup or sugar.
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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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).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, giving the cake a tender crumb and flavor.
- Eggs
- Provide structure and help bind the batter as it sets.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Maize (cornmeal)
- Gives the cake its corn flavor and a slightly coarse, grainy texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the cake brown as it bakes.
The step that matters
Alternating the dry mixture with the milk. Adding the dry ingredients gradually and alternating with milk keeps the batter smooth and prevents lumps. Overmixing once flour is wet develops gluten, which can make the cake tough.
“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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