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Dessert

Almond Obeam Cake

A layered almond cake topped with whipped cream, powdered sugar, blanched almonds, and vanilla.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
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Why it works: Almond and vanilla match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 4% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,961 recipes. Both carry eucalyptol, which smells eucalyptus, herbal. The science ↓

Almond Obeam Cake

Ingredients

Directions

Make and bake the cake

  1. Whisk together one cup butter, two cups sugar, one half cup milk, three cups flour, whites of five eggs, yolks of five eggs, two teaspoons baking powder, and one teaspoon almond flavoring.

  2. Bake in layers.

Make the topping and finish

  1. Whip one cup of cream to a stiff froth, add whites of two well beaten eggs, one cup powdered sugar, one cup of blanched almonds, and two teaspoons of vanilla.

  2. Spread the whipped cream mixture over the cake when it is cold.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

903Calories
28 gProtein
32 gFat
121 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 8 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Egg1 large egg (50g)78
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Almond1 almond (1.2g)7

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

By Ladies' Benevolent Society, First Congregational Church (Fall River, Mass .). Ladies' Benevolent Society, Mass.) First Congregational Church (Fall River. 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. Almond + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together3,961 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  2. Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together8,673 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

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

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

  4. Butter + milktop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

  5. Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together41,516 recipes

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

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Butter
Adds richness and a tender crumb by coating the flour and shortening the structure.
Flour
Provides the main structure that holds the cake's shape as it bakes.
Eggs
Add structure, richness and binding, and the whites add lift when beaten.
Baking powder
Releases gas during baking so the cake rises and becomes light.
Cream
Whipped into a foam that adds air, moisture and a soft topping.

The step that matters

Spread the topping only when the cake is cold. Warm cake softens and melts the whipped cream, so it loses its stiff foam structure, slides off, and turns runny.

“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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