Why it works: Brandy and cream are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 16% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,635 recipes. Both carry 2-heptanol, which smells bitter, floral. The science ↓
Lord Mayor's Trifle
Ingredients
Directions
Assemble the base
Slice the spongecakes and lay them at the bottom of a deep trifle dish.
Add the ratafias, macaroons, and brandy.
Allow the liquor to soak up.
Spread a layer of strawberry or raspberry jam over the spongecakes.
Finish and decorate
Cover with the rich cold custard.
Whip the cream a few hours in advance.
Drain the whipped cream on a reversed sieve.
Pile whipped cream high over the top and decorate with pink comfits.
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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Brandy + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,635 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Penny spongecakes
- Soak up the brandy liquor and form the soft structural base of the trifle.
- Brandy
- Soaks into the cakes and biscuits, adding aroma and flavour.
- Rich cold custard
- Adds moisture and richness, and sets the layers together with the sponge.
- Whipped cream
- Forms a light, airy topping that adds richness and a soft texture.
- Macaroons
- Soak up liquid and add a chewy, almond-flavoured texture.
The step that matters
Drain the whipped cream on a reversed sieve. Whipped cream that is not drained may weep liquid into the custard and make the topping slack. Draining lets excess liquid run off so the cream holds its shape when piled high.
“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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