Why it works: Egg and sugar 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 ↓
Boiled Frosting
Ingredients
Directions
Make the frosting
Beat the whites of three eggs to a stiff froth.
Moisten one large cup of granulated sugar with four tablespoons of hot water.
Boil the sugar briskly for five minutes, or until it "ropes" from the end of the spoon.
While the sugar is still hot, turn it into the beaten egg whites. Stir until the mixture is cold.
If desired, add half a pound of sweet almonds that have been blanched and pounded into a paste.
Finish the cakes
Use the frosting to cover the tops of two large cakes.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 4 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Sugar | 1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated | 49 |
| Water | not in our table | 0 |
| 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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Egg + sugartop 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
- Whipped whites trap air, giving the frosting a light, stable, foamy structure.
- Granulated sugar
- Boiled into a syrup, it sets the frosting into a firm, glossy coating as it cools.
The step that matters
Boiling the sugar syrup. The sugar must reach the 'rope' stage, which means it is concentrated enough to set firmly when poured onto the egg whites. Boiling too briefly leaves the frosting soft; boiling too long can make it hard or grainy.
“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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