Why it works: Sugar and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Mocha Tart
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a slow oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
In a bowl, combine the beaten eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and Mocha Extract. Mix until smooth and pour into layer cake pans.
Bake and assemble
Bake for 20 minutes.
For the filling, whip the cream and sweeten to taste, then mix in the Mocha Extract.
Layer the whipped cream between the baked layers and on top.
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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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + creamtop 20% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together30,481 recipes
Shared aroma: acetaldehyde (pungent, ethereal).
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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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, setting the sponge as they cook.
- All-purpose flour
- Forms the structure that holds the sponge layers together.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the layers and helps keep the crumb tender.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, helping the layers rise in the oven.
- Mocha extract
- Gives the layers and cream their coffee-chocolate flavor.
- Whipped cream
- Adds moisture and richness to the filling between and on top of the layers.
The step that matters
Mixing the batter until smooth. Overmixing once the flour is in can develop gluten and make the layers tough, while undermixing leaves lumps and uneven rise. Mix just until smooth so the batter stays light and even.
“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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