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 ↓
Almond 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
Sift the flour and place it near the fire to dry.
Pour boiling water over the almonds, then rub off the skins.
Chop the almond kernels finely.
Line two medium cake pans with buttered paper. Or butter the pans thickly and dust with powdered sugar.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Make the batter
Beat the butter until creamy.
Gradually add ½ pound of powdered sugar to the butter, then mix in the rosewater.
Gradually beat in the flour.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently mix in ½ pound of powdered sugar.
Quickly fold the egg whites and chopped almonds into the cake batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and place the pans on earthen plates.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until a clean toothpick can be inserted and withdrawn without being sticky.
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.
-
Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
-
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 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
- Whipped whites trap air, giving the cake lift and a light, airy crumb.
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar, it traps air and adds richness and a tender texture.
- All-purpose flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Almonds
- Chopped kernels add body, moisture and a nutty flavor to the crumb.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a fine, tender texture when creamed.
The step that matters
Quickly fold the egg whites and chopped almonds into the cake batter. Whipped egg whites hold air that gives the cake its lift. Overmixing or folding slowly lets the foam deflate, leaving a denser 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.
More almond cake recipes
You might also like
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Almond Paste Tartlets10 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.