Why it works: Sherry and brandy are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,209 recipes. Both carry ethyl cinnamate, which smells sweet, balsamic. The science ↓
Queen Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a quick oven”. The 400°F (200°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the batter
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Beat the egg yolks to a cream and add them to the butter and sugar.
Add the sherry, rose water, and brandy.
Alternately add the beaten egg whites and flour, stirring just enough to mix.
Bake and finish
Bake in small greased gem pans at 400°F (200°C) for 10 to 12 minutes.
Test with a broom whisk; when done, cool on an inverted sieve and ice.
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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Sherry + brandytop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,209 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl cinnamate (sweet, balsamic).
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Flour + buttertop 12% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together124,287 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Butter + sherrytop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,505 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
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Flour + sugartop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together92,116 recipes
Shared aroma: phenylacetaldehyde (hawthorne, honey).
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Rose + brandytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together560 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Flour and butter barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 124,287 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 with sugar to trap air and give the cakes a tender, rich crumb.
- Egg whites
- Beaten and folded in to lighten the batter and help the cakes rise.
- Egg yolks
- Enrich the batter with fat and emulsifiers for a moist, tender texture.
- Flour
- Provides the structure that sets the cakes as they bake.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the batter and, creamed with butter, helps create an airy texture.
The step that matters
Alternately add the beaten egg whites and flour, stirring just enough to mix.. Overmixing once flour is added develops gluten, making the cakes tough and dense. Stirring only until combined keeps the crumb light and tender, while the beaten whites trap air that helps the cakes rise.
“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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