Why it works: Butter and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 15% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 5,127 recipes. Both carry ethyl octanoate, which smells fruity, wine. The science ↓
Mocha Icing
Ingredients
Directions
Make the icing
Cream the butter until smooth.
Gradually add the sifted icing sugar, mixing well.
Stir in the coffee essence and brandy until fully combined.
Finish and store
Once the cake is iced, place it in a cool area until ready to serve.
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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Butter + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Sugar + coffeetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together4,344 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + buttertop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together98,233 recipes
Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).
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Sugar + brandytop 19% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together11,939 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Coffee + brandytop 22% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together213 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar and brandy barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 11,939 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Butter
- Creamed to form the smooth base that carries the sugar and flavourings.
- Icing sugar
- Dissolves into the butter to give the icing its sweetness and body.
- Coffee essence
- Provides the coffee flavour that defines the mocha character of the icing.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and depth of flavour to the icing.
The step that matters
Adding the icing sugar gradually. Adding sugar slowly lets it blend evenly into the butter, preventing lumps and a grainy texture in the finished icing.
“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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