Why it works: Cream and sugar 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 ↓
Charlotte Russe
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the mold
Take a one‑pound sponge cake and, with a sharp knife, carefully scoop out the inside, leaving an outer rim not more than half an inch thick.
Fit a small piece of cake into the hole left in the upper crust to form the mold.
Make the filling
Take one half packet of Cox's gelatine and dissolve it in a teacupful of new milk.
While the gelatine is cooling, beat the whites of six new laid eggs until they stand alone.
Add half a pound of white sugar gradually, beating all the while.
Add one pint of rich cream, whipped to a froth, and flavor delicately with vanilla.
Pour in the gelatine and milk, mix thoroughly, beating well for fifteen minutes before putting the mixture into the mold.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Cake | 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.
-
Cream + sugartop 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 form a foam that gives the filling its light, airy structure.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the filling and helps stabilize the whipped egg whites.
- Cream
- Whipped cream adds richness, moisture and a soft, smooth texture.
- Gelatine
- Sets the liquid filling so it holds its shape when cooled.
- Sponge cake
- Forms the outer shell that holds the filling in shape.
The step that matters
Adding the dissolved gelatine. Gelatine should be cooling but still liquid when poured in, so it mixes evenly without lumps. If it sets early, it forms clumps, and if it is too hot, it can deflate the whipped foam.
“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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