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 ↓
Genoa Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure. The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream the butter or margarine with the castor sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Gradually add the flour, mixing until just combined.
Fold in the currants, sultanas, lemon peel, and almonds.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan.
Bake for approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, or until a skewer inserted into 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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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Lemon + almondtop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,655 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
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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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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Butter or margarine
- Creamed with sugar to trap air and add richness and tender texture.
- Castor sugar
- Creamed with butter to aerate the batter and sweeten the cake.
- Eggs
- Bind the batter and add structure, moisture and richness as they set.
- Currants
- Add concentrated fruit sweetness and chewy texture throughout the cake.
- Almonds
- Add nutty flavour and a firm, crisp texture to the crumb.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs one at a time. Adding eggs gradually while mixing well helps the butter and sugar emulsify. If the eggs go in too quickly the batter can curdle, which may trap uneven air and affect the final texture.
Swap the currant
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (flour, butter, sugar, egg, lemon, almond):
- Raisinfits better
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Currantthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against flour, butter, sugar, egg, lemon, almond. 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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