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
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.
Make the batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
In a bowl, mix 2 cups of brown sugar, 4 egg yolks, and 4 tablespoons of butter until creamy.
Add 1 cup of sweet milk and mix well.
Gradually add 2½ cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, and 3 teaspoons of baking powder. Mix until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the 4 egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter.
Bake
Pour the batter into a greased baking pan and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Ice and finish
For the icing, beat the 4 egg whites and gradually add 2 cups of brown sugar until smooth.
Spread the icing over the cake and return to the oven to brown slightly.
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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Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together11,917 recipes
Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).
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Butter + milktop 7% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together81,283 recipes
Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).
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Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together18,623 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Flour + cinnamontop 9% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together17,341 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Milk + cinnamontop 10% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together12,655 recipes
Shared aroma: cuminaldehyde (Spicy, cumin).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Eggs
- Whites trap air for lift, while yolks add richness and help bind the batter.
- Flour
- Forms the starch and protein structure that holds the cake's crumb together.
- Baking powder
- Releases gas in the batter, causing the cake to rise and become light.
- Butter
- Adds fat that tenderizes the crumb and carries flavor.
- Brown sugar
- Adds sweetness and moisture, and helps the cake brown and keep softness.
- Sweet milk
- Adds moisture that hydrates the flour and dissolves the sugar into the batter.
The step that matters
Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter. The whites' foam is the main source of lift besides baking powder. Vigorous stirring knocks out the air bubbles, leaving a dense, flat cake.
“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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