Substitutions Allowed

When I was preparing to make my shortbread cookies 
last week, I discovered I was out of sugar. We had a dinner 
at church and I forgot I’d used the last to make gallons 
of sweet iced tea.

Undaunted, I researched whether I could and what 
amount would be appropriate to substitute 
confectioner’s sugar for the sugar.

As it turned out for baking, you can substitute the sugars. 
For 1 cup of granulated sugar you’d use 1 3/4 
cups confectioner’s sugar. The cookies turned out great.

Well, the substitutions didn’t end there. Not only was I out 
of sugar, I was also out of al-purpose flour. I generally use 
self-raising flour when baking. So, I substituted equal 
amounts – omitting the salt required in the recipe. 
All went well.

I have often substituted ingredients while cooking. For 
the cake recipe I made a few weeks back, normally I use 
sour cream – full fat too – I was out so I substituted the 
vanilla Greek yogurt I had on had – I actually like the 
texture and taste better with the yogurt!

Here are a few other substitutes you can use:

Baking Powder = 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar OR 1/4 teaspoon baking soda plus 1/2 cup buttermilk (decrease liquid in recipe by 1/2 cup)

Bread Crumbs (1 cup) = 1 cup crushed cracker crumbs 1cup matzo meal 1 cup crushed cornflakes 1 cup ground oats 1 cup crushed potato chips
Brown Sugar (1 cup) = 1 cup white sugar plus 1/4 cup molasses and decrease the liquid in recipe by 1/4 cup OR 1 cup white sugar OR 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
Buttermilk (1 cup) = 1 cup yogurt OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough milk to make 1 cup
Corn Syrup (dark-1 cup) = 3/4 cup (180 ml) light corn syrup plus 1/4 cup (60 ml) light molasses
Corn Syrup (light-1cup) = 1 cup (240 ml) dark corn syrup 1 cup(240 ml)  treacle 1 cup (240 ml) liquid glucose1 cup (240 ml) honey 1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar (increase the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup (60 ml))
Cream ( ½  and ½-1 cup) = 7/8 cup milk plus 1 tablespoon butter
Cream (heavy-1cup) = 1 cup evaporated milk OR 3/4 cup milk plus 1/3 cup butter
Cream Cheese (1 cup) = 1 cup pureed cottage cheese OR 1 cup plain yogurt, strained overnight in a cheesecloth
Crème fraiche (1 cup) = Combine 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of plain yogurt. Let stand for 6 hours at room temperature
Fats for baking (1 cup) = 1 cup applesauce OR 1 cup fruit puree
Cake flour (1 cup) = 3/4 cup (100 grams) all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (20 grams) cornstarch
Self-Raising Flour (1 cup) = 7/8 cup all-purpose flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt
Ketchup (1 cup) = 1 cup tomato sauce plus 1 teaspoon vinegar plus 1 tablespoon sugar
Lemon juice = 1/2 teaspoon vinegar OR 1 teaspoon white wine OR 1 teaspoon lime juice
Mayonnaise (1 cup)  = 1 cup sour cream OR 1 cup plain yogurt
Mustard = Mix together 1 tablespoon dried mustard, 1 teaspoon water, 1 teaspoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar
Sour cream (1 cup)  = 1 cup plain yogurt OR 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar plus enough cream to make 1 cup OR 3/4 cup buttermilk mixed with 1/3 cup butter
Sweetened condensed milk (1 cup) = 3/4 cup white sugar mixed with 1/2 cup water and 1 1/8 cups dry powdered milk: Bring to a boil and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Let Them Eat Cake

We have a joke around here regarding the moisture level of cakes – you know sometimes cakes can be so moist and delicious and other times they can be quite dry.

My husband will say, ‘That’s the dampest cake I have ever eaten!’

This cake he loved so much that he ate two servings when it was 

first made and this cake was completely finished when the children visited.

Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1 package yellow cake mix (with pudding in the mix or butter recipe)

1 cup  Dannon Oikos Greek Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt

1/3 canola oil

¼ cup water

¼ cup sugar

4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flower two round cake pans

Place the cake mix, yogurt, , oil, water, sugar, and eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer. Blend on low for one minute, stop the machine and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat the batter for 2 minutes at the medium speed. This should create a thick and smooth batter. Pour equal amounts of the batter into each round cake pan and place in the heated oven to cook for 30 to 35 minutes. The cake will be done when it springs back when lightly touched in the center and the sides begin to separate from the edges of the pan. Remove from the oven allow to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on the wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/3 cup cocoa

1 stick butter – at room temperature

3 ¾ cups confectioners sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl blend the butter until fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar, cocoa, milk and vanilla. Mix on low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy.