Why it works: Almond and butter are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 11% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 9,245 recipes. Both carry 2,3-pentanedione, which smells butter, sweet. The science ↓
Raspberry Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a brisk oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the filling
Remove the tops from the raspberries and place them in a saucepan with 4 tablespoons of caster sugar over low heat. Shake occasionally until cooked.
Lift the raspberries out with a slotted spoon and let the syrup boil.
Blanch and pound the almonds, mixing in a little egg white to prevent oiling.
Warm the butter and beat it until creamy. Mix in the pounded almonds, 14 tablespoons of caster sugar, 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs, and the beaten egg yolks.
Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks and gently fold them into the mixture.
Bake and serve
Butter a shallow tart pan and line it with short pastry. Add the raspberries, pour over the syrup, and then the beaten egg mixture.
Bake in a brisk oven at 400°F (200°C) until set. Serve hot or cold.
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 + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
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Butter + eggtop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together118,967 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + almondtop 18% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together15,679 recipes
Shared aroma: 1-penten-3-one (fish, pungent).
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Sugar + eggtop 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
- Raspberries
- Provide the main fruit flavour and tartness, and release juice that moistens the filling.
- Almonds
- Add body and a nutty richness to the filling.
- Butter
- Adds fat for a rich, tender texture.
- Eggs
- Bind the filling and set it into a custard-like texture when baked.
- Breadcrumbs
- Absorb moisture and help give the filling structure.
The step that matters
Folding in the beaten egg whites. Whites beaten to stiff peaks trap air that gives lift; overmixing or deflating them while folding makes the filling dense and heavy after baking.
Swap the almond
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, butter, egg):
- Almondthe original
- Pecansfits about as well
- Filbertfits less well
- Walnutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, butter, egg. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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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