Why it works: Cream and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 24% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 42,166 recipes. Both carry acetic acid, which smells sour, vinegar. The science ↓
Corn Starch Cake
Ingredients
Directions
Make the batter
Cream sugar and butter very light.
Mix cream of tartar in a little water and add it to the 10 eggs one at a time, stirring in but not beating.
Sift flour and cornstarch thoroughly together and add to batter.
Sift in soda very carefully.
Flavor with almond or vanilla.
Bake and finish
Bake in biscuit pan.
Cut in squares and ice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
What these numbers assume: 3 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Cream | 1 tbsp (15ml) heavy | 51 |
| 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.
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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Cream + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together42,166 recipes
Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).
Cream and egg barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 42,166 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Provide structure and lift when added gently without beating, so the batter stays airy.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the cream of tartar to help the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter and stabilizes the egg foam, supporting a tender crumb.
- Cornstarch (in the method)
- Lightens the crumb by partly replacing flour, giving a tender texture.
The step that matters
Sift in soda very carefully. Baking soda needs to be evenly distributed so it reacts uniformly with the acid in the batter. Clumps can leave bitter spots and uneven rising.
“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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