Why it works: Almond and orange are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 6% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 3,125 recipes. Both carry 2,4-decadienal, which smells seaweed. The science ↓
Sweet Almonds
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a very slow oven”. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the almond mixture
Mingle the almonds by hand for five minutes. Drop in the brandy and mix well.
Layer and bake
Butter a round cake mold lightly and sprinkle a little sugar.
Drop a third of the almond mixture into the mold. Spread the candied orange over the mixture.
Add half of the remaining almond mixture. Spread the candied citron on top. Fill the mold with the rest of the almond mixture.
Cover with a piece of brown paper and bake at 350°F (175°C) for two hours until golden.
Cool and finish
Cool in the mold for about three hours.
Turn the cake out bottom up onto a dessert dish. Glaze the cake and decorate with assorted candied fruits.
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.
-
Almond + orangetop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
-
Almond + buttertop 11% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together9,245 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Brandy + orangetop 15% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together2,706 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
-
Brandy + buttertop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together5,127 recipes
Shared aroma: ethyl octanoate (fruity, wine).
-
Almond + brandytop 17% of all pairsSmell alikelowCooked together1,969 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-heptanol (bitter, floral).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sweet almonds
- Form the bulk of the cake, giving it a dense, moist, nutty crumb.
- Brandy
- Adds aroma and flavor and helps moisten the almond mixture.
- Candied orange
- Adds bright, sweet citrus flavor and chewy pieces throughout the cake.
- Candied citron
- Adds sweet, aromatic citrus flavor and chewy texture between the layers.
The step that matters
Covering with brown paper during baking. The paper shields the top from direct heat so the cake can bake through over two hours without over-browning. Almond cakes with little flour can scorch or dry out if the top browns too fast, so the cover helps keep the crumb moist.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (almond, brandy, sugar, butter):
- Vanillafits better
- Figfits better
- Apricotfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against almond, brandy, sugar, butter. 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.
More almond cake recipes
You might also like
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Orange Cream Rice Pudding121 recipes
Orange Gelatin100 recipes
Orange Sherbet73 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.