Why it works: Sugar and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Tutti Frutti Icing
Ingredients
Directions
Boil the sugar and water until thick and waxy.
Pour the syrup into the egg whites and beat until cool.
Mix in the chopped almonds, sultanas, and citron.
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 + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Egg + almondtop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,645 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms a thick syrup that sets into the icing's sweet, waxy body.
- Egg whites
- Whipped with the syrup to give the icing a light, airy, foamy structure.
- Almonds
- Add crunch and texture that contrast with the soft icing.
- Sultanas
- Add chewy sweetness and moisture to the icing.
- Citron
- Adds candied citrus flavour and a chewy, fruity bite.
The step that matters
Pour the syrup into the egg whites and beat until cool. Hot syrup poured into egg whites cooks them gradually and builds a stable foam. Pouring slowly while beating keeps the whites from scrambling, and beating until cool lets the mixture thicken into a spreadable icing.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg):
- Pecansfits about as well
- Almondthe original
- Chestnutfits about as well
- Milletfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, 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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