Why does almost every baking recipe call for vanilla, baking soda and baking powder? Are these essential ingredients?
Obviously, the question applies to baked desserts like cakes, cookies and soda breads like zucchini and banana bread. Baking soda and baking powder are leavening ingredients. They work by expanding bubbles beaten into the butter and sugar when creaming them in the firs part of the recipe. Especially with cakes, the longer you cream the butter and sugar, the more air you will incorporate in it, and the lighter your finished product will be. Baking soda works by reacting to acid, which is most commonly added to a recipe through the use of buttermilk, yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar. baking powder has a second reaction when heated in the oven, which can give more oven spring to create a lighter crumb. Typically, when substituting one for the other, the ratio is 1/4 tsp of baking soda for every teaspoon of baking powder the recipe calls for,Vanilla is a flavoring ingredient, and it is what gives baked goods that sweet, floral note that enhances the flavor. You can leave it out if you want to, but your product will taste flat and uninteresting. Vanilla is a delicious flavor on its own, but it is often used to enhance other flavors as well. Almond cookies and cake, for instance, often include ground almonds, almond extract and vanilla extract, with each component bringing different flavors to the party. There are several varieties of vanilla and several ways to use it. Vanilla enhances the flavor of chocolate as well.Real vanilla extract, as opposed to the artificial type, is complex and has odors and tastes that vary from type to type. I had a chance to do a side by side blind taste test at the Museum of Food, and the difference between real and artificial was very obvious. Tahitian, Mexican and Madagascar are the usual suspects, and each one is different. Blends of the three are also available. You can use vanilla extract, vanilla paste, which is ground vanilla beans, or whole beans, which are sliced open and the seeds scraped out and added to the recipe. You can also make vanilla sugar, by sticking a couple of beans in a jar of sugar and letting it sit for several weeks until the flavor has permeated the sugar.Spices at PenzeysWe Asked 6 Baking Experts Whether Pure Vanilla Is Worth It — Ingredient Intelligence
Can I substitute Vanilla extract for almond extract for a sugar cookie icing recipe?
If they are almond cookies you will not get the flavor!! extracts are just flavoring agents. You can use any extract you like in almost any recipe. there are a couple of them tho that are really twice as strong as others. Almond is one that is stronger, so double any other extract except anise.
I don't have butter. Will margarine be ok for a sugar cookie recipe?
You can use margarine, but wouldn't you rather have a better tasting cookie for all your hard work?
Is there a substitute for vanilla sugar?
Vanilla sugar can be made by taking the seeds inside of a vanilla bean and mixing it with 1 cup sugar, then add the vanilla bean into the middle of the sugar and keep in an air tight container for at least a week for the flavor to develop. To make a substitute, for every cup of sugar you use add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.
What happens if a cake doesn't have vanilla extract in it?
If you don’t put vanilla extract in a cake without any other flavoring, it will taste of butter, of sugar and a bit like sweetened eggs. If you don’t use butter it will just taste sweet and a bit eggy. I think that leaving salt out would more adversely affect the taste than leaving out vanilla. If you don’t have vanilla extract, try to be sure to use good butter.It will still taste pretty nice but not so much like vanilla. You can use other flavors like orange (one of my favorites) coffee, lemon, brandy, rum, peppermint, maple, amaretto, almond extract, cherry, etc. All of these would be improved with vanilla.Give it a shot and see what you think.
How can i make icing with no powdered sugar or butter?
You can make powdered sugar in the blender. Just make sure you use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 cup of sugar. 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch Directions Combine the two and process in blender until powder forms. As for the butter you could use margarine or crisco or even cream cheese. 4 cups powdered sugar 1 cups shortening 1/2 tsp clear vanilla 1/4 cup water Using electric mixer, mix about 2 cups powdered sugar, the shortening, the vanilla, and all but two tablespoons of the water. Depending on the consistency, add the remaining water or sugar so that it is what you'd like. Uncooked Marshmallow Frosting ¼ t salt 2 egg whites ¼ c sugar ¾ c karo 1 ¼ t vanilla Add salt to egg whites and beat with rotary beater until frothy Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth and glassy Slowly add karo and continue beating until it stands in firm peaks. Cream cheese 4 ounces cream cheese 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and lemon zest until smooth and creamy. Or 3 egg whites (2-3 jumbo eggs normally do the trick) teaspoon of vanilla 4 cups of confectioners sugar. combine those whites and vanilla, and beat it until it's nice and frothy. Add the sugar in a little at a time, I like to do a 1/2 cup at a time Beat it for arounf 5-8 minutes until it form firm peaks. You can also add dye to it at that point
What are some substitutes that can be used for vanilla extract in a recipe?
Depends on what you're using it for.In cakes, cookies and such, substitute with chocolate syrup or a handful of candies (reduce the amount of sugar you're adding). In dishes involving milk, use vanilla ice cream. All these products have vanilla extract in them and would give roughly the same result as adding vanilla extract.
How do I convert a 9" cheesecake pan recipe to a 12 bar pan recipe?
How do I convert the bake times and/or recipe to fit into this bar pan? Here is what the recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs 3 Tbsp. sugar 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 4 eggs HEAT oven to 325°F. MIX graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. BEAT cream cheese, 1 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust. BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours. :: I have successfully made the cheesecake in the springform pan, but now I would like to make it in a 12 bar pan. ::
How much is 1/3 of a teaspoon? help! making brownies.?
okay so i'm going to make brownies in a few days, the recipe i'm using calls for 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder, however; the measuring spoons i have only go by, 1/4 teaspoon,1/2 teaspoon ,1 teaspoon, and 1 table spoon. so how do i know exactly how much is 1/3 teaspoon? any help would be appreciated, thank you (:
Can you substitute condensed milk with regular milk?
EVAPORATED milk is ordinary milk that has some of the water removed by heating. It tastes sweeter and richer than ordinary milk because it has a higher percentage of lactose and butterfat*.While you could use ordinary milk wherever evaporated is called for, in sauces or in coffee, it would taste thinner.CONDENSED milk is both evaporated and preserved with a great deal of sugar. It is almost a liquid candy straight out of the can.To substitute you would need to add more sugar to your recipe. A lot more. At least two parts sugar to one part milk. And then heat the milk until the sugar dissolves.But on the whole it would be like pretending carob is chocolate because they are both brown.*There is 2% butterfat evaporated milk available in Canadian groceries and 2% milk is the most popular kind here. I’m not sure if 2% in the evaporated means they reduced the water in 2% milk or if they reduced both water and butterfat to make the low fat evaporated milk.I find the two kinds are interchangeable in cooking and baking.