Why it works: Flour and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 8,673 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓
White Lady-cake
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
Beat the egg whites to a high froth.
Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat.
Cream the butter in a separate bowl.
Dissolve the saleratus in the sweet milk and add it to the butter.
Combine the egg mixture with the butter and milk.
Add enough sifted flour to thicken the mixture to a pound cake consistency.
Stir in the orange-flower water or lemon extract and the almond paste.
Beat the entire mixture until light and white.
Bake and finish
Line a square tin pan with buttered paper and pour in the mixture to a depth of 1 inch.
Bake in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 30 minutes.
Once baked, remove from the pan and let cool.
Peel off the paper, turn the cake upside down, and ice the bottom.
When the icing is nearly hard, mark it into finger-width slices, 2.5 inches long.
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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
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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Flour + almondtop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together8,673 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Orange + almondtop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together3,125 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Milk + wheattop 6% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,418 recipes
Shared aroma: (e,z)-2,6-nonadienal (cucumber, melon).
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Wheat + almondtop 7% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together264 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,4-decadienal (seaweed).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped to a froth, they trap air that lightens the cake and helps it rise.
- Butter
- Creamed with the mixture, it adds richness and a tender crumb.
- Sifted wheat flour
- Thickens the batter and gives the cake its structure as it sets in the oven.
- Baking soda
- Reacts with the liquids and helps the cake rise and lighten.
- Almonds
- Adds flavour and a moist, rich texture from the almond paste.
The step that matters
Beat the entire mixture until light and white. Air beaten into the egg whites and batter is what lifts the cake. Under-beating leaves it dense, while the flour should be added only enough to thicken, since too much makes it tough.
Swap the orange
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, butter, milk, wheat, flour, almond):
- Vanillafits better
- Raisinfits better
- Figfits better
- Orangethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, butter, milk, wheat, flour, almond. 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.
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