Why it works: Sugar and egg are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Icing for Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the icing
Whisk the egg whites to a stiff froth.
Gradually sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
Spread and set
Use a broad knife to spread the icing evenly over the cake.
Allow the first layer to firm in a cool oven before adding the next layer.
Flavor and finish
For color, use a little cochineal or currant juice; spinach juice for green.
For sponge cake, flavor the icing with orange or vanilla.
Dry the icing in a cool oven before serving.
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 + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whisked into a foam that traps air, giving the icing its light, stiff body as it sets.
- Icing sugar
- Provides sweetness and bulk, dissolving into the foam to form a smooth, spreadable icing.
The step that matters
Sifting in the icing sugar gradually. Adding the sugar all at once or too quickly can collapse the egg white foam and leave lumps. Adding it slowly while beating keeps the foam stable and the icing smooth.
“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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