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 ↓
White Lady-cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Beat the egg whites to a high froth.
Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.
Cream the butter in a separate bowl.
Dissolve the powdered salts in the sweet milk and add to the butter.
Combine the egg mixture with the butter and milk.
Add enough sifted flour to achieve a thick batter.
Stir in the orange-flower water or lemon extract.
Fold in the ground almonds until well mixed.
Bake and finish
Line a square tin pan with buttered paper and pour in the batter to a depth of 1 inch.
Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
Once baked, remove from the pan and let cool.
Peel off the paper, turn the cake upside down, and ice the bottom.
When the icing is nearly set, slice into finger-width pieces, about 2.5 inches long.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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).
-
Orange + almondtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
-
Wheat + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a foam that gives the cake its light, airy structure.
- Butter
- Creamed with the sugar to add richness and a tender crumb.
- Powdered volatile salts or baking soda
- Releases gas in the batter so the cake rises and lightens.
- Sifted wheat flour
- Builds the set structure that holds the cake together as it bakes.
- Ground almonds
- Add fat and body, giving a moist, dense texture and nutty flavour.
The step that matters
Folding in the ground almonds and flour. Overmixing knocks air out of the whipped egg whites, so the cake bakes up flat and dense. Fold gently, just until combined.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, milk, wheat, flour, almond):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, milk, wheat, flour, almond. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 recipes
Orange Gelatin100 recipes
Orange Sherbet73 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.