Why it works: Orange and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,634 recipes. Both carry 3-hexenal, which smells apple, fruity. The science ↓
An Excellent Sponge Cake Pitddino
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare
Slice the sponge cakes and place the sliced cakes in a well-buttered tart dish.
Add the candied peel on top of the cakes.
Make the custard
Whisk the eggs thoroughly.
Stir in the boiling milk with dissolved sugar and grated lemon rind.
When slightly cooled, add the brandy.
Pour the mixture over the cakes.
Let it sit for 1 hour.
Bake and serve
Strain the clarified butter over the top.
Sprinkle with pounded sugar.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 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.
-
Orange + lemontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together10,634 recipes
Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).
-
Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Milk + lemontop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,053 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Orange + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,706 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sponge cakes
- Form the base layer that soaks up the custard and holds the dish together.
- Eggs
- Set the custard as it bakes, giving the pudding its structure and body.
- Milk
- Makes the custard liquid that soaks into the cake and sets with the eggs.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the custard and helps the top brown as it bakes.
- Clarified butter
- Adds richness and fat, helping the top brown and keeping the pudding moist.
- Candied orange or lemon peel
- Adds bright citrus aroma and a chewy, sweet-tart flavour pockets.
The step that matters
Let the brandy cool before adding it. Adding brandy to very hot custard can drive off much of its alcohol and aroma, and the milk and egg mixture can curdle or cook unevenly if it is too hot. Letting it cool slightly keeps the custard smooth and the flavour intact.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, milk, sugar, lemon, brandy, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Apricotfits about as well
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, milk, sugar, lemon, brandy, butter. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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 sponge cake pudding recipes
You might also like
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 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.