Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Sour Cream Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderately quick oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the eggs and sugar together until very light.
Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the warm water and stir for a moment.
Add the soda mixture to the sour cream and stir until it begins to foam.
Combine the sour cream mixture with the eggs and sugar.
Sift in the flour and add the flavoring. Beat well for a few moments.
Bake
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 30 to 40 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.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Eggs
- Beaten with sugar, they add structure and help the cake set.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and, beaten with eggs, helps trap air for a light crumb.
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Reacts with the sour cream's acidity to produce gas, helping the cake rise.
- Sour cream
- Adds moisture, fat and acidity, which tenderises the crumb and activates the soda.
The step that matters
Add the soda mixture to the sour cream and stir until it begins to foam.. The soda must react with the sour cream's acid to release gas for rising. Stir only until foaming starts, then combine gently, since overmixing can toughen the crumb and waste the lift.
“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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