Why it works: Cream and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 9% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 43,450 recipes. Both carry 2,3-butanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Nut Frosting
Ingredients
Directions
Make the frosting
In a saucepan, combine sour cream and sugar.
Boil the mixture until it thickens and becomes clear, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Just before removing from heat, stir in the nut meats.
Stir continuously to prevent sticking.
Finish
Allow to cool before spreading on your cake.
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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Cream + sugartop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together43,450 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-butanedione (butter, sweet).
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Cream + meattop 24% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,248 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-octen-3-one (mushroom, metallic).
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Sugar + meattop 34% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,866 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
- Sour cream
- Provides tang and fat that give the frosting a creamy, smooth body.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the frosting and, as it cooks, thickens it into a glossy, spreadable mixture.
- Nut meats
- Add texture and a toasty, nutty flavour to the frosting.
The step that matters
Stirring continuously while the mixture boils. Sugar and dairy scorch quickly on the bottom of a pan, and scorched sugar tastes bitter and dark. Constant stirring spreads the heat evenly so the mixture thickens smoothly without sticking or burning.
“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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