Why it works: Egg and sugar 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 ↓
Plain Sugar Icing
Ingredients
Directions
The book says “a cool oven”. The 300°F (150°C) in the steps is the modern equivalent, not the book's own figure.
Make the icing
Beat the egg whites until frothy.
Gradually mix in the sifted sugar.
Whisk the mixture until it is well combined.
Color and finish
For pink icing, add cochineal drop by drop until desired color is achieved.
Spread the icing over the cake.
Place the cake in a cool oven at 300°F (150°C) to harden.
Do not leave it in the oven too long to avoid discoloration.
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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Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Foam when beaten and set into a firm, glossy icing as they dry.
- Sifted sugar
- Sweetens the icing and thickens it into a smooth, spreadable paste.
The step that matters
Baking the iced cake at low heat. Too long in the oven can discolor the icing. The low, cool heat only dries the surface and firms the egg white and sugar structure, so it should be kept brief.
“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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