Why it works: Vanilla and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓
Pound 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.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add the stiffly beaten egg whites and mix gently.
In a separate bowl, combine the beaten egg yolks and milk, then add to the mixture.
Sift together the flour and baking powder, then fold into the batter.
Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350°F (175°C) until golden and a toothpick 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.
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.
-
Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,187 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and adds richness and tender texture.
- Sugar
- Creamed with butter to add sweetness and help hold air bubbles for a light crumb.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to hold air, giving the cake lift and a light structure.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness, moisture and structure to the crumb.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas during baking, helping the cake rise.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped egg whites hold the air that lifts the cake. Mixing them too vigorously deflates the foam, leaving a dense, heavy crumb, so the mixing should be gentle.
“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.
More pound cake recipes
You might also like
Vanilla Ice Cream108 recipes
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipesThe 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.