Why it works: Gelatin and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 2,778 recipes. Both carry ethanol, which smells alcoholic, ethereal. The science ↓
Gelatin Icing for Cakes
Ingredients
Directions
Make the icing
Dissolve the gelatin in hot water.
Mix in powdered sugar until the mixture is quite stiff.
Ice the cake
Spread the icing on the cake.
Smooth the icing with a knife dipped in hot water.
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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Gelatin + sugartop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,778 recipes
Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Gelatin
- Sets with the water and sugar to give the icing a firm, stiff body.
- Powdered sugar
- Adds sweetness and bulk, stiffening the icing as it is mixed in.
The step that matters
Mixing in the powdered sugar until quite stiff. Gelatin must be fully dissolved before the sugar goes in, and the icing sets as it cools. If it cools too far before spreading, it becomes lumpy or too firm to spread smoothly. Adding sugar gradually lets you judge the stiffness.
“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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