Why it works: Chocolate and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Cake, Chocolate
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a hot oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Sift in the flour and chocolate powder alternately with the eggs, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla essence and mix until combined.
Pour the batter into a flat sandwich tin.
Bake and finish
Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Once cooled, cut the cake in half and spread with jam or chutney filling.
Ice the top with icing and sprinkle with chopped pistachio nuts.
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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Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
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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).
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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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
- Self-raising flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake's crumb as it sets in the oven.
- Chocolate powder
- Gives the cake its chocolate flavour and colour while adding some structure.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps tenderise the crumb when creamed with butter.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a tender texture and richness, and traps air when creamed.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter, add moisture and structure, and help the cake rise.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs with the flour. Adding eggs gradually, alternating with the flour and beating well after each addition, keeps the batter stable. If it curdles or is overbeaten, the cake can turn dense or heavy.
“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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