Why it works: Coconut and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which smells cocoa, roasted. The science ↓
White 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. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the batter
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg whites gradually, mixing well after each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour and baking powder.
Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the sherry wine.
Fold in the grated coconuts, chopped almonds, and citron.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and smooth the top.
Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center 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.
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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Coconut + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + coconuttop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,467 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 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
- Egg whites
- Add structure and lift to the batter as they set in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds richness and a tender texture when creamed with the sugar.
- Flour
- Forms the structure of the cake as it sets during baking.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a light, fluffy batter when creamed with butter.
- Almonds
- Add nutty flavour and a firm, slightly chewy texture to the crumb.
- Grated coconuts
- Add moisture, sweetness and chewy texture throughout the cake.
The step that matters
Adding the egg whites gradually. Adding egg whites slowly and mixing well after each addition keeps the butter and sugar emulsified, so the batter stays smooth and holds air for an even rise.
Swap the coconut
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, flour, butter, sugar, almond, sherry, wine):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Coconutthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, flour, butter, sugar, almond, sherry, wine. 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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