Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Stock Fondant
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Combine sugar, cold water, and cream of tartar in a bright copper kettle.
Stir until well mixed.
Bring to a boil.
Skim any formation from the surface.
Wash the inside of the kettle.
Cover with a wooden or steel lid.
Steam for 5 minutes.
Insert a thermometer.
Cook until the mixture reaches 242°F (117°C).
Cool and cream
Pour onto a well-sprinkled slab.
Let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the surface with cold water.
Wait until the batch is thoroughly cool.
Cream it as you would other creams.
Transfer to a crock or tub.
Cover with a damp cloth.
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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Forms the bulk of the fondant and, once crystallised fine, gives it a smooth, soft texture.
- Cold water
- Dissolves the sugar so the syrup can be cooked evenly before it is cooled and creamed.
- Cream of tartar
- An acid that helps prevent large sugar crystals from forming, keeping the fondant smooth.
The step that matters
Cook until the mixture reaches 242°F (117°C). Cooking the syrup to the right temperature sets how much water remains, which determines the firmness of the fondant. Too low gives a soft, runny result; too high gives a hard, crumbly one.
“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.
More fondant recipes
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.