Name: Fruit Filling for Cake
Ingredients: 3 egg whites; 1 pound sugar; 1 pound blanched almonds, cut crosswise; 1 pound seeded raisins, finely chopped; ¼ pound citron, cut into small pieces; ¼ pound figs, finely chopped

Why it works: Almond and raisin 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 ↓

Fruit Filling for Cake

sufficient for five jelly cakes

Ingredients

3 egg whites
1 pound sugar
1 pound blanched almonds, cut crosswise
1 pound seeded raisins, finely chopped
¼ pound citron, cut into small pieces
¼ pound figs, finely chopped

Directions

Beat the egg whites and gradually add the sugar until smooth. If the eggs are beaten first, use a little more sugar.
Stir in the blanched almonds, chopped raisins, citron, and figs.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

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.

Almond + raisintop 2% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together1,781 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).
Almond + figtop 3% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together519 recipes

Shared aroma: alpha-pinene (pine, turpentine).
Raisin + figtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together737 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + raisintop 13% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,481 recipes

Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).
Sugar + figtop 16% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked 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

Egg whites: Whipped to form a light, stable base that holds the filling together.
Sugar: Sweetens the filling and helps create a smooth, thick texture with the egg whites.
Blanched almonds: Add firm texture and nutty flavour that contrasts with the soft base.
Seeded raisins: Add chewy sweetness and moisture throughout the filling.
Citron: Adds candied fruit flavour and a chewy bite.
Figs: Add sweetness, body and chewy texture to the filling.

Swap the fig

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, sugar, almond, raisin):

Vanillafits about as well
Figthe original
Datesfits less well
Coconutfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against egg, sugar, almond, raisin. 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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Fruit Filling for Cake