Why it works: Vanilla and chocolate are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 10,020 recipes. Both carry sotolon, which smells curry, maple. The science ↓
Caramel Cake Filling
Ingredients
Directions
Make the caramel
Combine two cups brown sugar, butter the size of a large egg, and half cup sweet cream.
Boil together for twelve minutes; flavor with one tablespoon vanilla.
Let cool before spreading.
Make the chocolate filling
Separate the whites of two eggs.
Whisk one and a half cupfuls of powdered sugar, six tablespoonfuls of grated chocolate, and one teaspoonful of vanilla into the egg whites until frothy.
In a saucepan, combine six tablespoonfuls sugar and two tablespoonfuls hot water, stirring until smooth and glossy.
Beat the frothy egg whites and add the chocolate and sugar mixture.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 5 of 6 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 5 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Vanilla | 1 tsp extract (4ml) | 12 |
| Water | not in our table | 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.
-
Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together10,020 recipes
Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).
-
Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Cream + chocolatetop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,466 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Brown sugar
- Provides sweetness and the deep caramel flavor as it boils down.
- Sweet cream
- Adds fat and moisture, giving the caramel a smooth, soft texture.
- Eggs
- Whites whip into a foam that gives the filling lightness and body.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves easily into the whites, sweetening the filling smoothly.
- Grated chocolate
- Adds chocolate flavor and color to the filling.
The step that matters
Boil the caramel for twelve minutes. Boiling concentrates the sugar and cream, so the caramel thickens as it cools. Too short a boil leaves it runny and too long makes it stiff and grainy once cooled.
“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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