Why it works: Maple syrup and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 24% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,156 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Maple Syrup Frosting
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the maple syrup until it forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water.
Beat the egg until frothy, then gradually add the hot syrup while continuing to beat until the mixture thickens.
If desired, fold in chopped nuts before using.
Use immediately to frost your cake.
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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Maple syrup + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,156 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Maple syrup
- Provides the sweetness and flavour, and its sugar concentration sets the frosting when boiled.
- Egg
- Adds body and structure as it is beaten with the hot syrup, helping the frosting thicken.
The step that matters
Adding the hot syrup to the egg. Pour the syrup in slowly while beating constantly. Adding it too fast can cook the egg unevenly or cause lumps, and the frosting will not thicken smoothly.
“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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