The longer I bake, the more I discover that measuring ingredients with just dry measuring cups does not always turn out like the recipe says. There’s a reason for this. People measure ingredients in different ways and the result is inaccurate measurements. Some people scoop the flour with their measuring cup, and sweep off the excess. But there is the chance that you’ve packed too much into that cup. Or they use a spoon to fill the measuring cup and sweep off the top.
I’ve made a lot of recipes just using the standard American measurements: dry ingredients in dry measuring cups and liquids in a glass measuring cup. Several years ago I purchased a scale that I sometimes used when baking. But it was more of a novelty item. Plus it had a little arrow that was lots of fun for little fingers to play with and move around, seeing how far they could get it to move.
I bought a kitchen scale that America’s Test Kitchen recommended. I’ve loved knowing that whenever I bake, I’m going to get the correct measurements because I’ve used the weight of the ingredient rather than the volume. I’m including both measurements on my recipes so you can decide how you want to bake.
Here are the weight conversions for commonly used ingredients:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour – 5 ounces
- 1 cup cake flour – 4 ounces
- 1 cup whole wheat flour – 5 1/2 ounces
- 1 cup white sugar – 7 ounces
- 1 cup brown sugar – 7 ounces
- 1 cup powdered sugar – 4 ounces
- 1 cup cocoa powder – 3 ounces
- 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick|1/4 cup)- 2 ounces
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick|1/4 cup) – 4 ounces
- 16 tablespoons butter (2 sticks| 1 cup) – 8 ounces
This really is the most accurate way to measure ingredients. Think about how many times you’ve wondered if you’ve packed the brown sugar too much, or not enough! There are these wonderful silicone prep bowls from Pampered Chef that make it so easy to measure on a scale. They are light weight and have a spout. Check them out in my store for easy ordering.
happy baking!
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