Why it works: Butter and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 81,283 recipes. Both carry (z)-4-heptenal, which smells biscuit, cream. The science ↓
Hickory-nut Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream together the powdered sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the flour and baking powder, mixing well.
In another bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Fold the egg whites into the batter gently.
Stir in the milk and hickory-nut meats until just combined.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool before serving. It improves in flavor if kept for two to three weeks.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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 + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 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
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they lighten the batter and give the cake its airy structure.
- Butter
- Creamed with the sugar to trap air, adding tenderness and richness to the crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking, helping the cake rise.
- Hickory-nut meats
- Add nutty flavor and texture throughout the cake.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the batter and, creamed with butter, helps make it light and fluffy.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Beaten egg whites hold air that gives the cake its lift. Folding gently keeps that air in; vigorous stirring deflates the foam and leaves a denser cake.
“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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