Why it works: Butter and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 41,516 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓
Cup Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the sour cream and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine the beaten eggs and baking soda dissolved in a small amount of water.
Stir the egg mixture into the butter mixture.
Gradually add the flour until the batter is smooth; add more flour if the batter is too gummy.
Pour the batter into cupcake liners or a greased cupcake pan.
Bake
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
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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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Butter and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Creaming with sugar traps air and adds richness and a tender crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cupcakes and helps create a light, fluffy texture when creamed with butter.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture and acidity that keeps the crumb tender.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cupcakes together as they set.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure and richness as they set.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the sour cream's acidity to produce gas that helps the cupcakes rise.
The step that matters
Gradually add the flour until the batter is smooth. Overmixing flour develops gluten, which makes the cupcakes tough and gummy. Adding flour gradually and stopping once smooth keeps the crumb tender while still giving enough structure to hold the cupcakes up.
“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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