Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓
Spanish Bun Cake
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point. The book gives no cooking times either; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Prepare the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg yolks and cream, mixing well.
In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the batter.
Bake and finish
Pour the batter into a greased square baking tin.
Bake for 30‑35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool and frost with white icing.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + cinnamontop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together5,536 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Allspice + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together3,331 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + creamtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together41,516 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Yolks add richness and structure, while whipped whites lighten the batter and help it rise.
- Butter
- Creaming with sugar traps air and gives the cake a tender, fine crumb.
- Sugar
- Sweetens the cake and helps create a light, fluffy texture when creamed with butter.
- Flour
- Provides the main structure that sets as the cake bakes.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the oven so the cake rises and becomes light.
- Cream
- Adds moisture and richness, softening the crumb.
The step that matters
Folding in the egg whites. Whipped whites hold the air that lifts the batter. Stirring them vigorously deflates the foam, so fold gently and only until no white streaks remain to keep the cake light.
Swap the allspice
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (egg, butter, sugar, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg):
- Cardamomfits about as well
- Allspicethe original
- Clovefits about as well
- Turmericfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against egg, butter, sugar, cream, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg. 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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