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 ↓
White or Silver Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Cream the butter.
Gradually add the sugar.
Beat the egg whites until very stiff.
Fold them into the butter mixture.
Sift in the flour.
Mix well for 10 to 15 minutes.
Combine the baking soda and cream of tartar with a little flour.
Sift into the mixture, mixing gently.
Add the almond extract.
Bake
Pour the batter into a cake pan.
Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, starting at 350°F (175°C) for the first 15 minutes, then gradually increasing the heat.
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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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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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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Butter + almondtop 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).
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
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff foam, they trap air and give the cake its light, airy structure.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Granulated sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps tenderize the crumb when creamed with butter.
- Unsalted butter
- Adds richness and fat that gives the cake a tender texture and flavor.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the acid in cream of tartar to produce gas that helps the cake rise.
- Cream of tartar
- Acidifies the batter, reacting with baking soda to aid rising and stabilize the whites.
The step that matters
Beat the egg whites until very stiff. Underbeaten whites will not hold enough air to lighten the batter, and overmixing after folding in deflates them, leaving a dense cake.
“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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