Name: Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
Yield: 12-15 servings
Ingredients: 1/2 cup butter, softened; 1/2 cup vegetable oil; 1-3/4 cups sugar; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup baking cocoa; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 2 cups shredded zucchini; 1 cup flaked coconut; 6 tablespoons butter, softened; 2/3 cup packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup chopped walnuts; 1/4 cup milk

Why it works: Cinnamon and clove match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and 14,189 recipes mention both. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much aroma chemistry they share, and how many recipes mention both.

Cinnamon + clovetop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together14,189 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Vanilla + cinnamontop 1% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together5,287 recipes

Shared aroma: 4-methoxybenzaldehyde (sweet, anise).
Vanilla + cocoatop 4% of all pairs

Aroma overlapmoderate

Mentioned together357 recipes

Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
Vanilla + clovetop 6% of all pairs

Aroma overlapstrong

Mentioned together1,049 recipes

Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs

Aroma overlaplow

Mentioned together35,032 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla share little aroma chemistry, yet 35,032 recipes mention both: they likely work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

Flavor stand-ins for the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, cinnamon, clove):

Almondbetter flavor fit
Chestnutbetter flavor fit
Hazelnutbetter flavor fit
Cocoathe original

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, flour, cinnamon, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes. This compares flavor only: it does not check the job the ingredient does in the dish (bulk, moisture, acidity, structure).

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe