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
Break the chocolate into small pieces.
Place the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat.
Stir until the chocolate is completely dissolved.
Add the icing sugar and stir until well mixed and smooth.
Use as required.
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 glossy body of the icing.
- Icing sugar
- Adds sweetness and thickens the melted chocolate into a spreadable icing.
- Water
- Loosens the melted chocolate so it stays fluid and blends smoothly with the sugar.
The step that matters
Melting the chocolate over low heat. Chocolate can seize or turn grainy if it overheats. Gentle heat melts it evenly, keeping 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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