Why it works: Butter and pecans are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,416 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Nut Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a fairly brisk oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Cream the butter in a mixing bowl.
Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly until well combined.
Stir in the cold water, flavoring, and flour, and beat until smooth.
Fold in the chopped pecans.
Add the egg whites
Whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the egg whites and baking powder into the batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
Bake in a preheated 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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Butter + pecanstop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,416 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + flourtop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 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).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and give the cake a tender, rich texture.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the cake once mixed with the liquid and fat.
- Egg whites
- Whisked to stiff peaks to lighten the batter and help the cake rise and set.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter to make the cake rise in the oven.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps the creamed butter hold air during mixing.
- Pecans
- Add crunch and nutty flavor throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites and baking powder. Stiff egg whites hold air that makes the cake light. Stirring them in vigorously knocks that air out, so the cake can turn out dense instead of airy.
Swap the pecans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, flour, egg):
- Almondfits better
- Macadamia nutfits better
- Chestnutfits better
- Pecansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, flour, egg. 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.
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