Why it works: Coconut and almond match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 3% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,093 recipes. Both carry 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, which smells cocoa, roasted. The science ↓
White Nut Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Beat the egg whites until frothy.
Make the batter
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Gradually add the flour and baking powder to the butter mixture, mixing well.
Fold in the grated coconut, chopped pecans, and crushed almonds.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
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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Coconut + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,093 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine (cocoa, roasted).
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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Coconut + pecanstop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together394 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Pecans + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together431 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + almondtop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into foam, they add lightness and help the cake rise and set.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Sugar
- Creams with the butter and adds sweetness and gentle browning.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven, helping the cake rise and turn light.
- Grated coconut
- Adds moisture and body, along with its own distinct flavor and texture.
The step that matters
Folding in the coconut, pecans and almonds. Folding gently keeps the air in the batter. Overmixing knocks out that air and the gas from the baking powder, leaving a denser cake.
Swap the pecans
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, sugar, flour, coconut, almond):
- Macadamia nutfits better
- Cashew nutfits better
- Pistachiofits better
- Pecansthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, sugar, flour, coconut, almond. 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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