Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
An Excellent Sponge Cake 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
Slice the sponge cakes and place them in a well-buttered tart dish.
Add the candied peel on top of the cakes.
Make the custard
Whisk the eggs thoroughly.
Stir in the boiling milk with dissolved sugar.
Grate in the lemon rind and let the mixture cool slightly.
Add the brandy while the mixture is still warm.
Pour the mixture over the cakes and let it sit for 1 hour.
Bake
Strain the clarified butter over the top.
Sprinkle pounded sugar thickly on top.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes.
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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Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Orange + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,706 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Set the custard and give the pudding its rich, structured body as it bakes.
- Sponge cakes
- Soak up the custard, forming the soft, absorbent base of the pudding.
- Whole milk
- Forms the liquid base of the custard, adding moisture and softness.
- Clarified butter
- Adds richness and fat, helping the top brown and the crumb stay tender.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavour that complements the citrus and sweetness.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and, sprinkled on top, caramelises to a golden crust.
The step that matters
Let the mixture cool slightly before adding the brandy. Alcohol added to very hot custard can evaporate quickly and lose its aroma, while the eggs can scramble if the liquid is too hot when combined; warm, not boiling, keeps the custard smooth.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, sugar, lemon, brandy, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Apricotfits about as well
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, sugar, lemon, brandy, butter. 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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