Frosting and Filling for Cake

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.

1. Cocoa + coffeetop 3% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together91 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

2. Cocoa + vanillatop 4% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together357 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

3. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
   Smell alikelow
   Cooked together35,032 recipes

   Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

4. Coffee + vanillatop 9% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together1,391 recipes

   Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

5. Butter + vanillatop 14% of all pairs
   Smell alikemoderate
   Cooked together20,050 recipes

   Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 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

Creates a smooth, creamy base and gives the frosting its richness and body.

Powdered sugar

Adds sweetness and bulk, and helps the frosting firm up as it sets.

Cocoa

Provides chocolate flavour and deep colour to the frosting.

Coffee

Enhances the chocolate flavour and adds a little moisture to loosen the frosting.

Swap the cocoa

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, sugar, coffee, vanilla):

1. Cocoathe original
2. Almondfits about as well
3. Hazelnutfits less well
4. Chestnutfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, sugar, coffee, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.