Conversions and Equivalents

Here's a perfect guide for conversions and equivalents:
From Chocolate and Zucchini


Volume
1 cup = 240 mL (milliliter)
1/2 cup = 120 mL
1/3 cup = 80 mL
1/4 cup = 60 mL = 4 tablespoons
1 tablespoon = 15 mL (= une cuillérée à soupe or cs in French) = 3 teaspoons
1 teaspoon = 5 mL (= une cuillérée à café or cc in French)
1 fluid ounce = 30 mL
1 US quart = 0.946 liter ~=1 liter

Weight
1 ounce = 28 grams
1 pound = 16 ounces = 454 grams

Length
1 inch = 2.54 centimeters
1 foot = 12 inches = 30 centimeters

Temperature
400° F = 200° C = gas mark (France) 7
350° F = 180° C = gas mark (France) 6
300° F = 150° C = gas mark (France) 5
(See equivalents for UK gas marks.)

Volume-to-weight conversions

Note: Since the volume measurement of an ingredient depends on how you pack the measuring cup/spoon and on the ingredient itself (how it is cut, its density, its water content), the volume-to-weight conversions are not absolute: they are simply a reflection of my own experience.

Dairy
Butter: 1/2 cup = 1 stick = 4 ounces = 113 grams
Butter: 1 tablespoon = 14 grams
Comté cheese, grated: 1 cup = 100 grams
Crème fraîche: 1 cup = 240 grams
Fresh cheese: 1 cup = 240 grams
Greek-style yogurt: 1 cup = 280 grams
Gruyère cheese, grated: 1 cup = 100 grams
Heavy cream: 1 cup = 240 grams
Light cream: 1 cup = 240 grams
Milk: 1 cup = 240 mL
Parmesan cheese, grated: 1 cup = 110 grams
Ricotta: 1 cup = 250 grams
Yogurt: 1 cup = 250 grams

Nuts etc.
Almonds, shelled, whole, blanched: 1 cup = 125 grams
Almonds, sliced: 1 cup = 70 grams
Almond meal (a.k.a. ground almonds): 1 cup = 100 grams
Almond butter/purée: 1 cup = 240 grams
Cashews, shelled, whole: 1 cup = 130 grams
Chestnuts, shelled, cooked: 1 cup = 130 grams
Hazelnuts, shelled, whole: 1 cup = 120 grams
Macadamia nuts, shelled, whole: 1 cup = 125 grams
Nut butter: 1 cup = 240 grams
Pistachios: 1 cup = 125 grams
Poppy seeds: 1 cup = 145 grams
Walnuts, shelled, halves: 1 cup = 100 grams

Baking
Agave syrup: 1/3 cup = 100 grams
Baking powder (levure chimique or alsacienne): 1 standard French sachet = 11 grams = 1 tablespoon
Cacao nibs: 1 cup = 120 grams
Chocolate chips: 1 cup = 160 grams
Cocoa powder: 1 cup = 120 grams
Honey: 1 cup = 300 grams
Honey: 1 tablespoon = 18 grams
Salt, fine: 1 teaspoon = 5 grams
Sugar, brown: 1 cup (packed) = 170 grams
Sugar, confectioner's: 1 cup = 130 grams
Sugar, granulated: 1 cup = 200 grams
Sugar, granulated: 1 tablespoon = 12.5 grams
Molasses: 1 cup = 280 grams

Flour, grains, etc.
Bulgur: 1 cup = 190 grams
Chickpeas (dried, raw): 1 cup = 190 grams
Cornmeal: 1 cup = 165 grams
Dried beans: 1 cup = 180 grams
Elbow macaroni: 1 cup = 150 grams
Flour, all-purpose or whole wheat: 1 cup = 120 grams
Polenta: 1 cup = 160 grams
Quinoa: 1 cup = 190 grams
Rice, basmati: 1 cup = 180 grams
Rice, short-grain: 1 cup = 195 grams
Rolled oats: 1 cup = 100 grams

Fruits, vegetables, herbs
Baby spinach leaves: 1 cup (packed) = 30 grams
Basil: 1 cup (packed) = 20 grams
Blueberries: 1 cup = 190 grams
Carrots, grated: 1 cup (loosely packed) = 90 grams
Fava beans, shelled: 1 cup = 120 grams
Green peas, shelled: 1 cup = 145 grams
Hibiscus flowers, dried, semi-crushed, lightly packed: 1 cup = 40 grams
Mâche: 1 cup (packed) = 20 grams
Raisins: 1 cup = 150 grams
Raspberries: 1 cup = 125 grams
Rocket: 1 cup (packed) = 25 grams
Strawberries: 1 cup (small strawberries, or large strawberries, sliced) = 125 grams
Young salad greens: 1 cup (packed) = 20 grams

Other
Agar-agar: 1 teaspoon = 2 grams
Baby shrimp, shelled, cooked: 1 cup = 100 grams
Capers: 1 cup = 120 grams
Dried bread crumbs: 1 cup = 100 grams
Hibiscus flowers: 1/3 cup = 15 grams
Oil: 1 tablespoon = 9 grams
Olives: 1 cup = 180 grams

Pans and dishes
10-inch tart or cake pan = 25-centimeter tart or cake pan
9-inch cake pan = 22-centimeter cake pan
4-inch tartlet mold = 10-centimeter tartlet mold
9-by-13-inches baking dish = 22-by-33-centimeter baking dish
8-by-8-inches baking dish = 20-by-20-centimeter baking dish
6-ounce ramekin = 180-mL ramekin
9-by-5-inches loaf pan = 23-by-12-centimeter loaf pan = 8 cups or 2 liters in capacity

Ale Bread and a Poorly Girl

Every Friday, the littlest and I open up our village hall to local mums for a few hours for some tea and a play.  After finding a few spots on her hands, feet, and mouth (see where I'm going with this?), I soon realised that our Friday morning routine was about to be smashed.  Instead we would spend a lot of cuddle time on the sofa, which is never really a bad thing.  It's just a shame one of us needs to be feeling like a bag of nails for that to happen.  So we cuddled. A lot.

Then she fell asleep and I snuck off to the kitchen and made something yummy that I thought I'd share with you.

A few years ago I found this recipe for beer bread somewhere. I'm sure it was a food blog but I cannot remember which one. I had copied the recipe down in my notebook and have made this time and time again.  If you are afraid of working with yeast, short of time, or just plain lazy, this recipe is for you.  It takes just a few minutes to mix up and about 45 minutes to bake. It's perfect for when you have dinner company at short notice and you still want to impress or if you want to whip up some fresh bread for lunch. Any baking ability can handle this. So even if you are a novice baker or never baked anything in your life before, please give this one a go.

Ale Bread (or Beer Bread)
Makes one loaf

You can make this with beer or ale. Today I used ale because that is all I had. I think I prefer a lighter beer compared to ale, but I think my husband prefers the deeper flavour of the ale. You can add cheese, chives, garlic, or whatever you fancy. It's a pretty versatile recipe.  It has some sugar added, but I only find this faintly sweet, but you might want to use less if you want a less sweeter bread.  Again, this recipe is written with cup measurements.  I was going to weigh everything out for this post, but got carried away and only remembered after it was too late. I'll come back later and add them another time.

3 cups self-raising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
350 ml ale or beer
2 tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 170 C (375 F) in a fan oven and grease a loaf tin (no need to line with parchment)

In a medium sized bowl mix the flour, sugar, and salt.

Pour in ale or beer and stir until combined into a sticky, wet dough.  Pour into tin.

 



Bake in the centre of the oven for 40 minutes.

Now drink the leftover ale while you wait. It would be wasteful not to!

Take out of the oven and brush melted butter on top and pop it back in the oven for another 5 minutes.  Let cool or 5 minutes before turning out and letting cool on a wire rack.

 

 

 

We are having this tonight with a chicken thigh, chorizo, and butternut squash casserole. I cannot wait to soak up all the yummy red chorizo juice with this bread!  Please let me know if you make it and how you get on.

 

By the way, it makes excellent toast. I highly recommend a good slathering of butter and marmite if you are so inclined.

 

x

Church Cook Books and Carrot Cake

 

In American churches, it is common to compile recipes from the congregation and make a cook book to raise funds.  Some churches are more well known for their recipes than others.  If you hear  that one of these particular churches has just printed their collection, you can bet that they will sell out fast. These books are little gems.  While not all of the recipes are up to snuff (like using a box cake mix!! yes, really!), you can find some keepers.  I have two of these books in my ever growing cookery book collection.  When I need some of the comforts of North Carolina, I always reach for these.

Many of the recipes bring me back to my childhood when I'm feeling a bit homesick.  On one of these occasions, I had a hankering for a good old-fashioned carrot cake.  I grabbed my both of my books and searched.  Just before the massive collection of pound cakes (I promise to write about these another time), I found one carrot cake recipe.  The recipe looked easy and that was exactly what I had in mind. 

With the cold air and shorter days a comin', I thought this would be a perfect cake to bake for my son's school's fund raising event tomorrow.  To help them make a bit more money, I have made these into cupcakes. To be honest, I really wanted to make this so that my house will smell like autumn and spices. 

When I ran my cake business, these cupcakes were one of my top sellers at craft fairs.  I had people swear that they hated carrot cake and when I gave them a sample, they were converted.  This cake is made with oil, which makes it super moist.  Try not to notice all of the sugar and oil and you'll think it is healthy. I mean, it has carrots, right? I have tweaked it slightly and added a bit of orange oil to the batter and a touch more spice with the addition of ground cloves.  I normally top these with cream cheese buttercream, but in my usual form, I forgot the cream cheese yesterday when I did my shopping. Oh well, they are still delicious with vanilla buttercream.  You can even add a touch of orange oil to the buttercream if you leave it out of the cake.  Add pecans or walnuts in the cake or on top of the icing. Swap the sultanas or raisin with dried cranberries or dried cherries.  Make it your own!

Carrot Cake  (this makes me giggle: the original was labelled "Carrot Cake- World's Best")
Recipe adapted from Edith Thomas, Heavenly Delights, Morningstar Lutheran, Matthews, NC, USA 2004

The ingredients are measured in American cups. One day I will take the time and convert them for you. Measuring cups are so easy to get now, so I doubt it will cause you too much grief.

Makes roughly 32 large cupcakes (not fairy cake size) or 2 8-in or 9-in round layers

2 cups plain flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp bicarb of soda
1 tsp salt

2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups carrots, grated finely
1 1/2 cups (350 ml) vegetable oil (any flavourless oil will work)
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange oil (optional)
1 cup sultanas (or dried fruit of your choice)

Preheat a fan oven to 160 C (350 F).  Line muffin tins or if making layers, grease two round tins and line with a parchment circle. 

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, cloves, bicarb, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Stir in chopped nuts if using.

In a larger bowl, whisk the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and orange oil (if using).  Stir in carrots.

While stirring, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir until there is no trace of flour. Stir in the sultanas.

If making cupcakes:

Using a large ice cream scoop, fill each muffin case about 2/3 full. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Let cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes before taking out to cool on a wire rack. 

If making cake layers:

Fill each tin evenly.  Bake for 45-50 minutes until springy and cake begins pulling away from the sides. Let cool in tins for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and removing the parchment. 

Let cupcakes and cake cool completely before icing.

Cream Cheese Buttercream

People often ask me how I make a cream cheese buttercream that isn't runny. Butter is the key.  The butter is higher in saturated fat and sets better than cream cheese. The butter is the cream cheese's big fat friend. So, this isn't very good for you, but used as a treat for every now and then can't hurt.  Please, please, please use a good quality vanilla extract here. Or even better, use vanilla beans straight from the pod. If you use a poor quality vanilla, you will taste a metallic, alcohol flavour that will ruin it. And again, turn your head at the huge quantity of icing sugar.

250 g unsalted butter, just below room temperature
250 g cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 kg icing sugar
a few tablespoons of milk if necessary.

In an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until light and creamy.  Add the cream cheese and beat until combined.  Add half of the icing sugar and stir with a rubber spatula until it has moistened most of the sugar.  Stir in the remaining icing sugar. Doing this in stages helps keep icing sugar plumes down! Return the bowl to the mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla.  If the icing is too thick, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time, beating in between to check consistency.

Ice them babies and enjoy!

x

Flowers, Crumble, and a Quiet House

I do sometimes feel like I need to pinch myself.  My life here in England is more than I ever could have imagined.  While there is always the dull ache for "home," I have made my home here and I could not want more.  This morning, I kissed the family goodbye so I could indulge in a bit of me time.  After picking up the crafty teacher, Joanne from Not So Granny, we headed off to Cambridge for a class in crochet flowers at The Sheep Shop.  Joanne is a master of all things wooly and the teacher of this particular class.  Along with three others, we gathered around the cozy table in the shop and learned how to make three different types of crochet flowers, one of which Joanne designed herself; The Granny Gertie Flower. The atmosphere in the shop was lovely. I could easily spend a lot of time there. It's a shame, but probably good for my purse that I don't live closer.  Sarah has obviously worked very hard to make such a sweet little shop. Three hours quickly flew by while we crocheted, knattered, drank tea and ate some suprisingly yummy chocolate muffins from Tesco (thank you Sarah).  I really should have taken photos, but I was so engrossed with flower making that the thought never crossed my mind.  Claire, from Claireabellemakes was there too and I think she might have caught the flower-making bug too.

I didn't have quite enough time to finish the big flower in the shop, but don't you know that's exactly what I did when I got home.  One kidlet was asleep for her afternoon nap, the other was snuggled up with a sleep daddy on the sofa, so I had the perfect opportunity to finish it up and even start on some new ones.  My plan is to make some poppies and give them to some family and friends in November.

After the youngest was up from her nap, I finally had to get down to the most important business of the day. Crumble. The darling husband had picked a few of our bramleys the other day, along with some brambles.  I had promised him a crumble with this bounty, of course.  I quickly made a double batch of crumble topping. One half goes in the freezer for another day.  It's the best treat to find a bag of frozen crumble in the freezer when I really can't be arsed to make any. I always thank myself and think of me as very clever when this happens. 

The husband and boy went off to football, the Grandad came and took the little girl to feed the chickens and all was quiet.  So after surprisingly finding myself alone in the house, I knew exactly what I wanted to do.  I quickly put the kettle on, scooped up a heaping blob of ice cream (hey, it was the light kind!) and crumble. The house is still quiet while I sit here and I'm watching a beautiful sun set across the field.  I'm not really sure what I've done to deserve this peace, but I will definitely soak every last second of it up.