Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Gold Sponge Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Beat six eggs well.
Beat one cup of sugar into the eggs.
Add three tablespoonfuls of water, two tablespoonfuls of lemon juice, and one and a fourth cup of flour that has one half teaspoon baking powder and a little salt sifted with it.
Bake
Bake in a ring pan slowly for one hour.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 4 of 5 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| 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.
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Beaten eggs trap air, giving the cake its light, airy structure.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps keep the crumb tender and moist.
- Flour (in the method)
- Its proteins set during baking, forming the cake's main structure.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the cake rise.
The step that matters
Bake in a ring pan slowly for one hour.. A slow bake lets the centre set evenly before the outside browns too much. Rushing the heat can leave the crumb underdone in the middle or dry at the edges.
“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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