Why it works: Egg and sugar 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 ↓
A Charlotte a LA Farisienne
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slack oven”. The 300°F in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the cake
Cut the sponge cake into half-inch slices.
Cover each slice with a different kind of preserve.
Reassemble the cake slices in their original form.
Ice and dry
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped egg whites over the cake.
Sift additional powdered sugar over the icing.
Place the cake in a very low oven (300°F / 150°C) to dry.
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.
-
Egg + sugartop 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
- Sponge cake
- Provides the light, absorbent base that holds the layers together.
- Preserves
- Add sweetness, fruity flavor and moisture between the cake slices.
- Egg whites
- Whipped to stiff peaks, they form a light meringue icing that dries into a crisp coating.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the meringue and, sifted on top, forms a thin crust as it dries.
The step that matters
Drying the meringue in a low oven. Meringue sets by drying rather than baking hard. A very low oven removes moisture slowly, so the icing firms without browning or weeping. Too hot an oven browns or cracks it.
“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.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.