Why it works: Sugar and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 8% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes. Both carry beta-damascenone, which smells apple, rose. The science ↓
Marshmallow Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold in the sifted powdered sugar, then fold in the sifted flour and vanilla extract.
Line three cake pans with oiled paper and divide the batter evenly among them.
Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden.
Make the filling
For the filling, soften the marshmallows without melting them.
In a saucepan, boil 3 cups of powdered sugar with ½ cup of water until it threads.
Cool slightly, then gradually mix in the beaten whites of 3 eggs until thick enough to spread.
Assemble and top
Cut the marshmallows in half and layer them with the filling between the cake layers.
Top the cake with whole marshmallows, but don't overdo it to avoid excessive sweetness.
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.
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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Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together35,032 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Flour + vanillatop 12% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together19,241 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Cream + vanillatop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together12,301 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they trap air and give the cake its light, airy structure.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the starch and gluten that set the cake's structure as it bakes.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the batter and, boiled with water, forms the syrup that binds the filling.
- Fresh marshmallows
- Softened and layered in the filling and on top, adding soft sweetness and moisture.
- Cream of tartar
- Stabilizes the whipped egg whites, helping the foam hold its peaks.
The step that matters
Boiling the sugar and water to the threading stage. Sugar syrup that is boiled too little stays runny and too much turns brittle or grainy. Reaching the thread stage gives a filling that holds together and spreads without collapsing.
Swap the vanilla
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, flour, cream, sugar):
- Raisinfits about as well
- Vanillathe original
- Figfits less well
- Strawberryfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, flour, cream, sugar. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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