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 Frosting
Ingredients
Directions
Beat the egg whites lightly; they should not become white.
Stir in the grated chocolate.
Gradually add the powdered sugar while beating to mix well.
Continue beating until the mixture is stiff and 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).
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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Chocolate + eggtop 24% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together11,448 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptenal (green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam that gives the frosting its airy structure and body.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the frosting and dissolves into the foam, helping it set stiff.
- Grated chocolate
- Adds chocolate flavor and cocoa fat, giving richness to the frosting.
The step that matters
Adding the powdered sugar gradually. Adding sugar slowly while beating lets it dissolve evenly into the egg white foam. Dumping it in at once can deflate the foam and leave the frosting grainy and loose.
“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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