Category: Basics

How often does the name of an ingredient or a piece of baking equipment leave us totally bewildered? What does the term mean? Some people call cookies biscuits, the American version is cookies and the British version, biscuits. There are so many words like these and depending on which book you’re referring to, a British publication or an American one, or more confounding still, an Australian one, baking ingredients and equipment can confuse. And then of course there is the Indian version too, and it gets even more confusing. But mostly, Indians used British English because of our historical past. Now however, with the internet and so much of American influence, many people use the American equivalents here in India too.

I took these ingredient and equipment terms from a wonderful book called The Best of Baking.

So here are some British baking terms with their American equivalents. I’d love it if you’d add to these in the comment section of this post.

Ingredients

apple, cooking (British) / apple, baking (American)

apple purée (British) / apple sauce (American)

bicarbonate or soda (British) / baking soda (American)

biscuits (British) / crackers or cookies (American)

biscuit mixture (British) / cookie dough (American)

black treacle (British) / molasses (American)

cake mixture (British) / cake batter (American)

chocolate caraque (British) chocolate curls (American)

chocolate, plain (British) / chocolate, semisweet (American)

chocolate vermicelli (British) / chocolate sprinkles (American)

cocoa powder (British) / unsweetened cocoa (American)

coconut, dessicated (British) / coconut, shredded (American)

cornflour (British) / cornstarch (American)

cream, single (British) / cream, light (American)

cream, double (British) / cream, heavy (American)

digestive biscuits (British) / graham crackers (American)

flour, plain (British) / flour, all purpose (American)

gelatine (British) / gelatin (American)

glacé cherries (British) / candied cherries (American)

icing (British) / frosting (American)

raisins, seedless (British) / raisins, seeded (American)

scones (British) / biscuits (American)

semolina (British) / semolina flour (American)

shortcrust pastry (British) / basic pie dough (American)

soured cream (British) / sour cream (American)

sugar, icing (British) / sugar, confectioners’ (American)

sultanas (British) / seedless white raisins (American)

vanilla pod (British) / vanilla bean (American)

yeast, fresh [25 gms, 1 oz] (British) / yeast, compressed [1cake] (American)

Equipment

baking tray (British) / baking sheet (American)

base ( British) / bottom (American)

cake board (British) / cake plate (American)

cling film (British) / plastic wrap (American)

cocktail stick (British) / toothpick (American)

deep cake tin (British) / spring form pan (American)

double saucepan (British) / double boiler (American)

dough or mixture (British) / batter (American)

flan tin (British) / pie pan (American)

grease proof paper (British) / wax paper (American)

knock back dough (British) / punch down dough (American)

liquidiser (British) / blender (American)

loaf tin (British) / loaf pan (American)

muslin (British) / cheesecloth (American)

palette knife (British) / spatula (American)

pastry or biscuit cutter (British) / cookie cutter (American)

pastry case (British) / pie shell (American)

piping pag (British) / pastry bag (American)

polythene (British) / plastic (American)

prove dough (British) / rise dough (American)

pudding basin (British) / oven proof bowl or pudding mold (American)

sandwich tin (British) / layer cake pan (American)

stoned (British) / pitted (American)

sugar thermometer (British) / candy thermometer (American)

Swiss roll tin (British) / jelly roll pan (American)

whisk eggs (British) / beat eggs (American)

Baking a cake is scientific. It involves clear measurements and proper temperatures. If you don’t get these right your cake won’t turn out well. So here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re baking a cake.

1. Keep all the ingredients ready before hand- Go through the list of ingredients written in the recipe. Take out each one, measure it as per the recipe and lay it on the cooking platform or kitchen table. Make sure you’ve not forgotten any ingredient. Flour should preferably be measured by weighing it on a kitchen weighing scale rather than in cups.

2. Bring ingredients to room temperature unless otherwise specified-Bring the butter and eggs to room temperature. Soften the butter. If the eggs are cold and need to be brought to room temperature quickly you can put them in a pan of hot water for 10 minutes.

3.  Have all your baking tools and equipment ready-Imagine missing your oven mitts when you need to remove the cake from the oven. A few minutes longer searching for them and the cake may burn.

4. Preheat the oven- You must preheat your oven for at least 10 minutes before putting the cake batter into the oven to bake. A cake usually bakes at 175 degrees C in the center of the oven.

5. Prepare the pan- You must grease and flour the cake pan before putting the batter into it so that the cake comes out easily once baked.

Wish you a Merry Christmas! It’s the festive season and all of us who bake must have brown sugar at home. But what if your stock of brown sugar is over? And you don’t have time to go to the grocery store? Well then, I have a cheaper, equally delicious tasting (with all the depth of flavor) alternative for you so you can make those tasty gingerbread cookies.

You only need two ingredients. Molasses or treacle (the British equivalent of molasses) and white granulated sugar. For light brown sugar add 1 tablespoon of molasses to I cup of white granulated sugar and mix with a fork. For dark brown sugar add two tablespoons of molasses to I cup of white granulated sugar and mix with a fork. There you are! Your brown sugar is ready to use.

Do remember that brown sugar is measured differently from white granulated sugar. Because brown sugar forms clumps, when you pour it into a cup there will be air pockets so you must press it down with a spoon and ‘pack’ it. That’s why we read recipes asking for a ‘cup of packed brown sugar’.

So here’s to happy cookie baking!

photo credit: mareefe