Why it works: Chocolate and cherry work together. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 576 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Black Forest Cupcakes
24 servingsIngredients
Directions
Step-by-step directions aren't available for this recipe. See the full recipe at the source →
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 6 ingredients. The other 3 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Cherry | 1 cup (138g) | 87 |
| Gelatin | 1 envelope (7g) | 23 |
| Cake | not in our table | 0 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| Topping | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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 + cherrytop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together576 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
-
Chocolate + gelatintop 20% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together228 recipes
Shared aroma: maltol (caramel, sweet).
-
Cherry + gelatintop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together67 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
Swap the cherry
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chocolate, gelatin):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Cherrythe original
- Raspberryfits about as well
Fit is the average pairing score against chocolate, gelatin. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.
