Why it works: Flour and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,673 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
Queen 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
Cream the butter in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs, separating the yolks and whites.
Blanch and chop the almonds, and cut the peel into small pieces.
Mix and bake
Mix the butter, eggs, almonds, peel, milk, and flour thoroughly.
Beat the mixture for 10 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a shallow tin.
Bake in a moderate oven at 350°F (175°C) for 1½ to 2 hours.
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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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + milktop 14% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together78,219 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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
- Add structure and richness as they set during baking, and their yolks contribute fat and colour.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as the batter sets in the oven.
- Butter
- Adds fat and tenderness, and helps create a rich, fine crumb.
- Almonds
- Add fat, flavour and a slightly firm texture to the crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps it brown during baking.
- Milk
- Adds moisture and hydrates the flour so the batter can set.
The step that matters
Beating the mixture for 10 minutes. Beating works air into the batter and develops the flour's gluten network, which gives the cake its lift and structure. Beating too little leaves a dense cake, while the ingredients must be fully combined first to ensure an even texture.
“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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