Why it works: Flour and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,673 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Almond 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.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Beat the butter until creamy, then add the chopped almonds and mix well.
Gradually add the sugar to the butter and almond mixture, beating continuously.
Incorporate the egg whites and sweet milk into the mixture.
Sift the flour, cream of tartar, and baking soda together, then fold into the mixture until just combined.
Bake
Pour the batter into pound cake pans.
Bake for about 45 minutes or until 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.
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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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Beaten egg whites add air and lift, giving the cake structure and a lighter crumb.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps tenderize the crumb while promoting browning.
- Butter
- Adds fat for richness and a tender texture.
- Almonds
- Add nutty flavor and body to the batter.
- Cream of tartar
- Stabilizes the egg whites and works with baking soda to help the cake rise.
The step that matters
Folding in the flour mixture. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, which can make the cake tough. Fold only until the flour disappears so the batter stays light.
“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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