Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
Directions
Combine two squares grated chocolate, five tablespoons powdered sugar, and three tablespoons boiling water. Stir over fire until smooth.
Dissolve one teaspoonful gelatine in two teaspoonfuls cold water. Add to the chocolate mixture.
Add one cup powdered sugar. Flavor to taste. Fresh lemon for flavoring is delicious. If used, dissolve your gelatine with it and a little water. If too stiff, add water or lemon juice until the right consistency.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 3 of 4 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate | 1 oz (28g) semisweet | 155 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Lemon | juice of 1 lemon (48ml) | 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.
-
Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
Sugar + lemontop 18% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together53,532 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Chocolate + lemontop 33% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,096 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-ol (mushroom, earthy).
Sugar and lemon barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 53,532 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
- Gelatine
- Sets the icing so it firms up and holds its shape.
- Chocolate
- Provides the main flavor and body of the icing.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the icing and thickens it to a spreadable consistency.
The step that matters
Dissolving and adding the gelatine. Gelatine must be fully dissolved before it goes into the chocolate, or it will form lumps and set unevenly. Stiffness is then adjusted with liquid, so add water or lemon juice gradually.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (chocolate, sugar):
- Vanillafits better
- Coconutfits better
- Cherryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against chocolate, sugar. 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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