Why it works: Vanilla and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓
Cottage Pudding
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).
In a bowl, combine the flour and baking powder, then sift again.
Make the batter
In another bowl, cream the butter with the sugar and vanilla or lemon extract.
Beat the egg with the milk, then mix it into the butter and sugar mixture.
Gradually add the flour mixture while stirring continuously.
Beat the batter rapidly for 2-3 minutes.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a well-buttered cake pan.
Bake for 35-40 minutes.
Serve hot with hard or liquid sauce, turning the pudding out onto a platter.
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 their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
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Vanilla + milktop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the pudding's crumb together as it bakes.
- Egg
- Adds structure and richness, helping the pudding set as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, making the pudding rise and turn light.
- Butter
- Adds fat for tenderness and flavor in the crumb.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and loosens the batter to a pourable consistency.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the pudding and helps brown the crust slightly.
The step that matters
Beat the batter rapidly for 2-3 minutes. Vigorous beating develops gluten in the flour, which gives a tougher, denser pudding. Keeping the beating brief, as the record directs, helps the cake stay tender and light.
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, egg, milk):
- Vanillathe original
- Raisinfits about as well
- Figfits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, egg, milk. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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