Why it works: Flour and raisin match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,075 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Federation Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and sugar together for 30 minutes.
Gradually add the milk and flour alternately, beating well after each addition.
Add the vanilla and lemon extracts.
Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Fold the stiff egg whites into the batter.
Sift the baking powder into the batter.
Mix the batter thoroughly.
Divide the batter between two 11-inch pans.
Bake and make the icing
Bake in a cool oven at 300°F (150°C) until risen.
Increase the heat to finish baking.
Beat the sugar and egg whites together for the icing.
While the icing is hot, add the marshmallows.
Mix the icing well.
Fold in the raisins, figs, candied pineapple, pecans, almonds, and orange juice.
Spread the icing between the layers and on top of the cake.
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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Flour + raisintop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together9,075 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + vanillatop 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).
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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Vanilla + raisintop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together782 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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
- Eggs
- Whipped whites trap air, giving the cake a light, open structure as it sets.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and adds tenderness and richness to the crumb.
- Pastry flour
- Its proteins set during baking, forming the cake's structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cake rise.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, creamed with butter, helps hold air for a fine texture.
- Marshmallows
- Melt into the hot icing, adding sweetness and a soft, chewy binding.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until stiff and folding them in gently. Stiff whites hold the air that lifts the batter. Overmixing when folding deflates them, leaving a dense cake.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, milk, flour, egg, vanilla, raisin):
- Figfits better
- Coconutfits better
- Peachfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, milk, flour, egg, vanilla, raisin. 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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