Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the grated chocolate, powdered sugar, and boiling water.
Stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth.
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.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Grated chocolate
- Provides the cocoa solids and fat that give the icing its flavour and glossy set.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and body, thickening the icing as it dissolves.
- Boiling water
- Melts the chocolate and loosens the mixture into a spreadable consistency.
The step that matters
Stir over low heat until smooth. Chocolate can seize or turn grainy if overheated. Gentle, low heat lets it melt evenly and stay smooth and glossy.
“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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