Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Angel Food
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the dry ingredients
Combine one cup flour, one cup granulated sugar, half cup powdered or confectioner's sugar, and one level teaspoon cream tartar.
Pass these ingredients through a sieve five times.
Make the batter
Beat the whites of twelve perfectly fresh eggs with a pinch of salt added.
Sift the beaten egg whites into the dry ingredients and fold under.
Add a teaspoon of vanilla.
Bake and cool
Bake forty-five minutes in a slow oven.
Invert the pan and let it partially cool before removing from the pan.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 4 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
-
Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
-
Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 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
- Whipped whites trap air, giving the cake its light, airy structure.
- Flour (in the method)
- Provides the starch and gluten framework that holds the cake's structure as it sets.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps stabilize the whipped egg white foam.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the egg whites, stabilizing the foam so it holds more air.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and a fine, tender crumb when sifted with the flour.
The step that matters
Folding the egg whites into the dry ingredients. Folding gently keeps the air beaten into the whites. Stirring or deflating the foam makes the cake dense and reduces its rise.
“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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