Why it works: Butter and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 17% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 118,967 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Chess Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the filling
Peel and grate one coconut.
Boil one pound of sugar for fifteen minutes in two-thirds of a pint of water.
Stir in the grated coconut and boil fifteen minutes longer.
While warm, stir in a quarter of a pound of butter.
Add the yolks of seven eggs well beaten.
Bake
Bake in patty pans with rich paste.
If prepared coconut is used, take one and a half coffee cupfuls.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| 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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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
-
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
- Sweetens the cakes and, once boiled, helps bind the coconut into a thick mass.
- Butter
- Adds fat and richness, giving the cakes a softer, moister texture.
- Eggs
- Add richness and help set the mixture as the cakes bake.
- Cocoanut
- Supplies moisture, flavor and the main texture of the filling.
The step that matters
Adding the eggs. Egg yolks begin to set when heated, so adding them to a very hot mixture can scramble them. Stirring the beaten yolks in while the mixture is warm, not boiling, keeps the filling smooth and evenly thickened.
“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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