Why it works: Sugar and egg 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 ↓
Frostings and Fillings for Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the syrup
Boil one teacupful of granulated sugar and four tablespoonfuls of water.
Continue boiling until the mixture becomes brittle when dropped in water.
Whip and combine
Beat the whites of two eggs to a stiff froth.
Pour the hot sugar mixture slowly over the beaten egg whites, beating continuously until the mixture is cold.
Add flavoring as desired.
Alternative syrup
Boil one cupful of sugar and four tablespoonfuls of water until it reaches the hair stage.
Have the well-beaten white of an egg ready.
Pour the hot sugar and water over the egg white, slowly beating continuously.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 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 |
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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Sugar + eggtop 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
- Sugar
- Dissolves into the water to form a syrup that sets the frothed whites into a glossy frosting.
- Eggs
- Whites foam into a stiff froth that traps air and gives the frosting its light body.
The step that matters
Pouring the hot syrup into the whites. Pour the hot syrup slowly while beating continuously. Pouring too fast can deflate the foam, and the syrup must be hot enough to cook the egg white and set the 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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