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Dessert

Charlotte Snowballs

A chocolate sponge cake filled with whipped cream and served with candied cherries or fruit.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
By Norton, Caroline Trask · From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 9 ingredients
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Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Charlotte Snowballs

Ingredients

Directions

Make the custard

  1. Melt two ounces of chocolate in a double boiler with one-fourth cup each of sugar and water.

  2. Cook until glossy, then add one cup of milk.

  3. When hot, add the yolks of three eggs that have been well beaten, with one-fourth cup of sugar.

  4. Cook in the hot milk and chocolate until the mixture coats the spoon.

  5. Add one tablespoonful of granulated gelatin that has been softened in one-fourth cup of cold water, then strain.

Chill and mould

  1. Set the dish in cold water or surround with cracked ice.

  2. Flavor with one teaspoonful of vanilla.

  3. Stir until the mixture becomes thick.

  4. Fold in one cup of heavy cream that has been whipped stiff, then mould.

Serve

  1. When ready to serve, surround with whipped cream and garnish with a few candied cherries or other fruits.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

494Calories
16 gProtein
27 gFat
43 gCarbs

Counts 6 of 7 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 6 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Chocolate1 oz (28g) semisweet155
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Waternot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

By Norton, Caroline Trask. Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

  1. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Chocolate + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

  4. Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together43,450 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).

  5. Chocolate + creamtop 11% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,466 recipes

    Shared aroma: delta-decalactone (sweet, creamy).

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

Chocolate
Gives the custard its chocolate flavour, colour and some richness.
Eggs
Yolks thicken the hot milk mixture as their proteins set with gentle heat.
Milk
Forms the liquid base that the yolks and chocolate cook into a custard.
Gelatine
Sets the mixture so it holds its shape when moulded and served.
Heavy cream
Whipped air adds lightness and a soft, airy texture to the set dessert.

The step that matters

Cook the yolks until the mixture coats the spoon. Egg yolks thicken as their proteins set with gentle heat. If the custard overheats or is not stirred, the yolks can curdle or scramble, so keep the heat moderate and stir constantly.

“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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