Why it works: Raspberry and vanilla work together. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 950 recipes. Both carry ethyl benzoate, which smells fruity, sweet. The science ↓
Tranches a LA Neige
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a moderate oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Prepare the cake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, cream together the butter and 6 oz of sugar until smooth.
Add the egg yolks, flour, ground almonds, and vanilla essence; mix well.
Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold into the mixture.
Grease a flat baking tin and pour in the batter.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden.
Top with meringue and serve
Whip the remaining egg white until stiff, then mix in 1 oz of sugar and lemon rind.
Spread raspberry jam over the baked cake, then top with the meringue mixture.
Return to the oven until the meringue is lightly colored.
Cut into squares or fingers and 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.
-
Raspberry + vanillatop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together950 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl benzoate (fruity, sweet).
-
Vanilla + almondtop 4% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,961 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
-
Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
-
Raspberry + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together552 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
-
Raspberry + lemontop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,109 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed with sugar to trap air, giving the cake a tender, rich crumb.
- Eggs
- Whipped whites add lift and structure, while yolks enrich the batter.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that holds the cake together once baked.
- Ground almonds
- Add moisture and a tender, nutty texture to the cake.
- Castor sugar
- Sweetens the batter and helps the butter cream to a smooth texture.
- Raspberry jam
- Adds sweetness, fruity acidity and moisture between the cake and meringue.
The step that matters
Whipping the egg whites until stiff. Stiff whites trap air that gives the cake lift. Under-whipped whites deflate, while over-whipped whites turn grainy and dry, and folding gently keeps the air in the batter.
Swap the lemon
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, flour, raspberry, vanilla, sugar, egg, almond):
- Peachfits better
- Figfits better
- Blueberryfits better
- Lemonthe original
Fit is the average pairing score against butter, flour, raspberry, vanilla, sugar, egg, almond. 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.
You might also like
Lemon Cake228 recipes
Raspberry Jam150 recipes
Lemon Ice147 recipes
Vanilla Ice Cream108 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.