Why it works: Flour and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 92,116 recipes. Both carry phenylacetaldehyde, which smells hawthorne, honey. The science ↓
Soft Frosting for Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the flour paste
Combine two-thirds cupful flour and enough water to make a stiff paste.
Place the mixture in a double boiler and cook thoroughly.
Finish the frosting
When the mixture is cold, add one cupful sugar.
Add two cupfuls of butter whipped to a cream.
Mix by adding a little at a time and flavor.
Sprinkle over the top coconut or chocolate.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
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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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Flour
- Cooked into a paste that thickens the frosting and gives it body.
- Sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the frosting its smooth, spreadable body.
- Butter (in the method)
- Adds fat, creaminess and richness to the frosting.
The step that matters
Cooking the flour and water paste. Flour must be cooked thoroughly so its starch gelatinizes and thickens the mixture. Undercooked flour leaves a raw, pasty taste and a grainy texture in the finished frosting.
“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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