Why it works: Sugar and egg 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 ↓
Icing for Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the icing
Beat and sift the sugar.
Combine sugar, rose-water, and beaten egg whites in a bowl, then whisk the mixture well.
Ice and bake
When the cake is almost cold, dip a feather in the icing and cover the cake evenly.
Place the cake in the oven to harden the icing, but do not let it discolor.
Store
Store the cake in a dry place.
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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Sugar + eggtop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
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Sugar + rosetop 25% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together3,584 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Rose + eggtop 28% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,840 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Fine sugar
- Adds sweetness and body, and helps the icing set into a firm, smooth coating.
- Egg whites
- Provide structure and set into a firm coating when gently heated.
- Rose-water
- Adds a delicate floral aroma and flavour to the icing.
The step that matters
Hardening the icing in the oven. Egg whites and sugar set into a crisp coating with gentle heat, but high heat or long baking makes them brown. Keeping the oven gentle and watching closely keeps the icing pale.
“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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