Marshmallow Cake

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.

1. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together81,283 recipes

   Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

2. Sugar + gelatintop 7% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together2,778 recipes

   Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

3. Milk + corntop 10% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together6,955 recipes

   Shared aroma: hexanal (green, grassy).

4. Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together124,287 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

5. Flour + corntop 13% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together6,165 recipes

   Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Butter and flour 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

Egg whites

Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air and give the cake lift and a light, airy structure.

Flour

Forms the main structure of the cake batter once mixed and baked.

Butter

Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tenderness to the crumb.

Gelatin

Dissolved in hot water, it sets the filling so it holds its shape and gives it a chewy, marshmallow texture.

Powdered sugar

Beaten into the gelatin mixture to add sweetness and body to the set filling.

Sugar

Creamed with butter for sweetness and to help create a tender, light crumb.

The step that matters