Ground Cinnamon 4.5% is one of the most important baking spices as it is used in cakes, buns, breads, cookies and pies. It is excellent when added to mashed sweet potatoes, buttered acorn squash or applesauce. The 4.5% is actually a measurement of the volatile oil content of cinnamon to determine its strength. The higher the number of volatile oil the product contains, the stronger the flavor of the cinnamon.