Why it works: Almond and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 18% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 15,679 recipes. Both carry 1-penten-3-one, which smells fish, pungent. The science ↓
Almond Icing
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the paste
Blanch, dry, chop, and pound the almonds, or use ground almonds with almond essence.
Mix equal weights of almonds and icing sugar well.
Moisten the mixture to a stiff paste using sugar syrup or beaten egg whites.
If using egg whites, beat them slightly but do not froth.
Work the paste until firm and close.
Finish and store
Add acetic acid to help dry and harden the icing, and blue coloring if desired.
Cover the icing with a damp cloth when not in use.
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.
-
Almond + sugartop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Blanched almonds
- Provide the bulk and nutty flavour that forms the body of the icing.
- Icing sugar
- Adds sweetness and fine texture, and helps the paste hold its shape.
- Egg whites
- Bind the almond and sugar mixture into a stiff paste when used instead of syrup.
- Acetic acid
- Helps the icing dry and harden at the surface.
The step that matters
Beat egg whites slightly, without frothing. Frothing incorporates air and extra water that can make the paste soft and harder to firm up, so the whites should only be loosened before mixing in.
“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
Almond Sponge Cake26 recipes
Almond Custard22 recipes
Almond Wafers22 recipes
Coconut Almond Cake17 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.