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 ↓
Plum Cake, Common
6 cakesIngredients
Directions
The book says “a good oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the dough
Rub the butter into the flour.
Add the sugar, currants or raisins, and allspice.
Warm the milk and dissolve the yeast in it.
Mix everything into a soft dough and knead well.
Shape and rise
Divide the dough into 6 buttered tins.
Place the tins near the fire for 1 hour or until light.
Bake
Bake the cakes in a good oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1 to 1½ hours.
To check if done, insert a clean skewer in the middle; it should come 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.
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
-
Currant + allspicetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,359 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + allspicetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together4,302 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter 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
- Flour
- Forms the structure that holds the dough together and sets as the cakes bake.
- Butter or good dripping
- Adds fat that tenderises the crumb and carries flavour.
- Moist sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cakes brown as they bake.
- Currants or raisins
- Add sweetness and chewy fruit pieces throughout the cake.
- Distillery yeast
- Produces gas as it ferments, making the dough rise and turn light.
- New milk
- Provides liquid to bring the dough together and feeds the yeast.
The step that matters
Letting the dough rise until light. Yeast needs warmth and time to produce enough gas to lighten the dough. Rising too short leaves the cakes dense, while the fermentation must be given time before baking sets the structure.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, allspice, milk):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, allspice, milk. 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 plum cake recipes
You might also like
Red Currant Jelly65 recipes
Currant Ice Cream32 recipes
Currant Sherbet9 recipes
Currant and Raspberry Ice7 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.