Why it works: Milk and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 88,785 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Sponge Cream
Ingredients
Directions
Make the custard
Let two cups sweet milk in a double boiler come to a good scald, add the yolks of four well beaten eggs, one-half cup granulated sugar, pinch of salt, then two tablespoons gelatin.
Thoroughly dissolve gelatin in a little sweet milk and boil until it thickens.
To this add the well beaten whites of four eggs, season with vanilla, rose or almond to taste.
Set and serve
Put in mould, set on ice five or six hours.
Serve on dish garnished with berries, and alternate with whipped cream, or serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 1 cup (244ml) whole | 149 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
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. See the original page.
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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Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together88,785 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Milk + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together77,875 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Milk and sugar barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 77,875 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
- Eggs
- Yolks and whites thicken the custard and give the sponge its light, airy body.
- Gelatin
- Sets the cream so it holds its shape when chilled and unmoulded.
- Sweet milk
- Forms the liquid base that the eggs and gelatin set into a custard.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the custard and balances the flavour.
The step that matters
Dissolving the gelatin fully before it thickens. Gelatin must dissolve completely in the hot mixture, or it forms lumps and uneven set. Boiling only until it thickens, rather than long, helps keep the custard smooth and the set even.
“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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