Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Plain Frosting or Icing for Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the frosting
Ensure the egg white and the frosting are cold.
In a large cup, combine the egg white and a pinch of salt.
Add a small handful of powdered sugar and begin beating immediately.
Continue adding powdered sugar at intervals until fully incorporated.
Spread and adjust
Spread the frosting evenly over the cake with a broad knife.
If the frosting is too thin, beat in more powdered sugar.
For a thicker icing, apply a second coat after the first has dried.
If the icing becomes too dry, thin it with a little water to achieve a smooth consistency.
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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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg white
- Whipped into a foam that holds the sugar and gives the frosting its light structure.
- Powdered sugar
- Dissolves into the egg white to add sweetness and body, thickening the frosting as it is added.
The step that matters
Adding the powdered sugar gradually while beating. Adding sugar in small portions lets the egg white foam take it in without collapsing. Too much at once makes the frosting stiff and lumpy, and adjusting consistency later is harder than adding sugar slowly from the start.
“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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