Why it works: Chocolate and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 13% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,404 recipes. Both carry guaiacol, which smells smoky, sweet. The science ↓
Chocolate Icing
Ingredients
Directions
In a saucepan, combine the grated chocolate, granulated sugar, and boiling water.
Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Spread the icing on the cake while it is still warm.
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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Chocolate + sugartop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,404 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Chocolate
- Provides the main flavour and, once melted, the body and gloss of the icing.
- Granulated sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps give the icing a smooth, glossy texture as it dissolves.
- Boiling water
- Melts the chocolate and sugar into a smooth, spreadable liquid.
The step that matters
Stir over medium heat until smooth and glossy. Chocolate can seize or turn grainy if it overheats or is stirred unevenly. Gentle, steady stirring over moderate heat keeps the chocolate emulsified and the icing smooth and glossy.
“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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