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 ↓
Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and gradually add the brown sugar.
Beat the eggs until very light and add them to the mixture.
Melt the chocolate over hot water, then mix in the boiling water until smooth.
Combine the chocolate mixture with the butter and sugar mixture.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt, then fold into the batter.
Add the vanilla and mix well.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased pan and bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 30-40 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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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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Butter + flourtop 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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Sugar + chocolatetop 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
- Butter
- Creams with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and its molasses deepens the flavor.
- Eggs
- Add structure and binding, and help the batter rise and set.
- Grated chocolate
- Provides chocolate flavor and fat, and contributes to a rich, dense crumb.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the cake as its proteins set during baking.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acidic components to produce gas that makes the cake rise.
The step that matters
Folding in the flour mixture. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which toughens the crumb. Fold gently and only until the flour disappears so the cake stays tender.
“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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