Why it works: Almond and flour 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 in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Mix the sugar with the well-beaten egg yolks and sifted flour.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the mixture.
Pound the sweet almonds.
Mix the almonds with the rosewater and thick cream.
Combine the almond mixture with the batter and beat for about 10 minutes.
Bake and serve
Pour the batter into a prepared pan.
Bake in a moderate oven (350°F / 175°C) until done.
Serve when cooled.
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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Almond + flourtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Sugar + creamtop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Sugar + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Egg + flourtop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together106,462 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Almond + creamtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,130 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Egg and flour barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 106,462 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
- Egg whites
- Beaten until stiff, they trap air that lifts the cake and gives it a light crumb.
- Egg yolks
- Add richness and structure to the batter as they bind with the flour.
- Sifted flour
- Provides the starch that sets during baking and gives the cake its structure.
- Sweet almonds
- Add nutty flavour and moisture, and give the cake a tender, dense texture.
- Thick cream
- Adds fat and moisture, keeping the crumb soft and tender.
- Sifted sugar
- Adds sweetness and helps the batter brown during baking.
The step that matters
Folding in the stiff egg whites. Stirring too hard or too long deflates the whipped foam, which removes the air that makes the cake rise and stay light. Fold gently with a spatula, cutting through and turning the batter until just combined.
“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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