Why it works: Raisin and almond are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 2% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,781 recipes. Both carry 2-nonanone, which smells fruity, floral. The science ↓
Cake Filling
Ingredients
Directions
Boil sugar with enough water to dissolve it until it threads.
Slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg whites while beating steadily.
Once all the syrup is added, mix in the shredded citron, chopped figs, raisins, and chopped almonds gradually.
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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Raisin + almondtop 2% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,781 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
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Fig + almondtop 3% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together519 recipes
Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
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Fig + raisintop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together737 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,481 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
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Sugar + figtop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,241 recipes
Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Sugar
- Dissolved and boiled into a syrup that sweetens and sets the filling's body.
- Egg whites
- Beaten to foam, they give the filling its light, airy structure.
- Almonds
- Chopped nuts add body, texture and a rich, nutty flavour to the filling.
- Raisins
- Chopped dried fruit adds moisture, chewiness and concentrated sweetness.
The step that matters
Pouring the syrup into the egg whites. The syrup must be hot and poured slowly while beating constantly. Pouring too fast or letting the whites stop moving can cause the syrup to cook or deflate the foam, losing the airy structure the filling depends on.
Swap the fig
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, egg, raisin, almond):
- Vanillafits about as well
- Figthe original
- Datesfits less well
- Coconutfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, egg, raisin, 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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