Name: German Chocolate Cake Recipe
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients: 2 ounces Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature; 1 cup granulated sugar; 2 large eggs, at room temperature; 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk, at room temperature; 3/4 cup heavy cream; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 2 large egg yolks; 1 1/4 cups unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted and crumbled; 3/4 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; , at room temperature

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 ↓

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.

Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together10,020 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Flour + buttermilktop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together3,721 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + buttermilktop 9% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together2,973 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Cocoa powder + vanillatop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together2,189 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

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

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Coconut	1/2 cup shredded (40g)	283
Chocolate	1 oz (28g) semisweet	155
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Cream	1 tbsp (15ml) heavy	51
Sugar	1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated	49
Pecan	1 half (4g)	20
Vanilla	1 tsp extract (4ml)	12
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

German Chocolate Cake Recipe