If you're visiting from a country where baking measurements are done in cups, I've put together this helpful conversion guide. You can also automatically convert to cups by clicking 'US Customary' beneath the ingredient list on some of my recipes. Please be aware I have not tested my recipes using cups amounts, I have only provided a conversion for your convenience.
My number one piece of advice is to buy some digital measuring scales, they make baking more accurate and help to avoid any risk that ingredients will be measured incorrectly. So much can go wrong when it comes to cup measurements, for example if you scoop up flour with the cup, or spoon flour into the cup, they will weigh different amounts. I use digital scales by a brand called Salter which cost under £15 (under $20 US dollars) from Amazon.
I also wanted to provide bit more information about the ingredients I use in my recipes:
- I always use large eggs, unless otherwise stated.
- For baking spread, I always use Stork as I find I get the best results when making cakes and cupcakes. However I prefer real butter when making brownies, cookies, buttercream, blondies, millionaire's shortbread etc.
- For vanilla extract, Nielsen Massey is the best quality, however many other supermarkets and brands have excellent quality extracts too. Just make sure not to use vanilla essence as it has a synthetic flavour.
- For flour and caster/light brown sugar, I use supermarket own brands or I as don't feel they make much (if any) difference in cakes and pastry. I would only spend more for making specific breads, or for a good quality wholemeal (whole wheat) flour
- For icing sugar I only use Tate & Lyle, it is the only icing sugar I have found that doesn't make a huge cloud the moment you start mixing it! It's definitely not 100% mess free, but the difference between it and other brands is substantial.
- For chocolate, I use supermarket own brands (Tesco's is my fave) or Callebaut. I never use cooking/baking chocolate, as not only does it taste horrible to me, but it can negatively affect the final result of some bakes, like blondies for example.
| UK Ingredient Name | US Ingredient Name | 1 cup | ¾ cup | ⅔ cup | ½ cup | ⅓ cup | ¼ cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plain Flour | All Purpose Flour | 120g | 90g | 80g | 60g | 40g | 30g |
| Self Raising Flour | Self Rising Flour | 120g | 90g | 80g | 60g | 40g | 30g |
| Flour (sieved) | N/A | 110g | 80g | 70g | 55g | 35g | 27g |
| Granulated sugar | N/A | 200g | 150g | 133g | 100g | 67g | 50g |
| Caster sugar | Superfine sugar | 200g | 150g | 133g | 100g | 67g | 50g |
| Icing Sugar | Powdered confectioners sugar | 125g | 94g | 83g | 63g | 42g | 31g |
| Brown Sugar | N/A | 200g | 150g | 133g | 100g | 67g | 50g |
| Golden syrup | Corn syrup | 350g | 265g | 235g | 175g | 115g | 90g |
| Honey/Maple syrup | N/A | 322g | 240g | 215g | 161g | 107g | 80g |
| Black Treacle | Molasses | 340g | 255g | 227g | 170g | 113 | 85g |
| Cornflour | Corn starch | 120g | 90g | 80g | 60g | 40g | 30g |
| Oats (uncooked) | N/A | 90g | 65g | 60g | 45g | 30g | 22g |
| Butter | N/A | 240g | 180g | 160g | 120g | 80g | 60g |
| Coconut oil | N/A | 200g | 150g | 133g | 100g | 67g | 50g |
| Vegetable oil | N/A | 200g | 150g | 133g | 100g | 67g | 50g |
| Whole Milk | Full fat milk | 245g | 184g | 163g | 123g | 82g | 61g |
| Double cream | Heavy cream | 240g | 180g | 160g | 120g | 80g | 60g |
| Desiccated coconut | Shredded coconut | 100g | 75g | 67g | 50g | 33g | 25g |
| Nuts (chopped) | N/A | 150g | 110g | 100g | 75g | 50g | 40g |
| Nuts (ground) | N/A | 120g | 90g | 80g | 60g | 40g | 30g |
| Breadcrumbs (dry) | N/A | 150g | 110g | 100g | 75g | 50g | 40g |
| Digestive biscuits | Graham crackers | 100g | 75g | 67g | 50g | 33g | 25g |
| Sultanas/Raisins | White Raisin | 200g | 150g | 130g | 100g | 65g | 50g |
Butter
I'm giving butter it's own section as I've seen it weighed it sticks, cups and even tbsp!
| 1 cup | ¾ cup | ⅔ cup | ½ cup | ⅓ cup | ¼ cup |
| 227g | 170g | 151g | 113g | 76g | 57g |
| 1 stick of butter = | 113g |
| 1 tbsp butter = | 14g |
| (All figures are rounded to nearest whole number) | |
Cake sizes
I often get asked how to convert my cake recipes to different sized cake tins. I make the vast majority of my cakes in 8" tins. The table below is to convert any of my 8" cake tin recipes to fit your cake tins. Any recipe conversion is going to involve a bit of maths unfortunately so get your calculator ready!
For example, to convert and 8" cake tin recipe to a 6" cake tin, you need 56% of the original ingredients. Therefore you'll need to multiple each ingredient amount by 0.56.
So if the recipe for an 8" cake states 500g caster sugar:
500 x 0.56 = 280
So you'll need 280g caster sugar for a 6" cake recipe!
Remember that if you are sizing down the cake you'll need to bake it for less time, and if you're sizing up, you'll need to bake it for longer! Always check a cake is done by inserting a thin skewer in the centre, if it comes out clean, the cake is done!
| Cake tin size | Mutiple by |
| 4" | 0.25 |
| 5" | 0.39 |
| 6" | 0.56 |
| 7" | 0.77 |
| 9" | 1.27 |
| 10" | 1.56 |
| 12" | 2.25 |
| 14" | 3.06 |
Eggs
Now of course, it's pretty hard to divide up an egg, so here's my guide for changing the amount of eggs. You can also add 1-2 tbsp milk if you think the batter needs it.
| Cake tin size | Eggs for a two layer cake | Eggs for a three layer cake |
| 4" | 1 | 2 |
| 5" | 2 | 3 |
| 6" | 3 | 5 |
| 7" | 5 | 7 |
| 9" | 8 | 11 |
| 10" | 10 | 14 |
| 12" | 14 | 20 |
| 14" | 19 | 28 |
Other useful conversions:
| UK term | US term |
| Bicarbonate of soda | Baking soda |
| Pepper | Bell/Sweet Pepper |
| Filo pastry | Phyllo pastry |
| Jam | Jelly |
| 100s & 1000s | Sprinkles |
| Spring onion | Scallion |
| Natural yoghurt | Unflavoured yoghurt |
| Courgette | Zucchini |
| Greaseproof Paper | Wax Paper |
| Baking paper | Parchment paper |
| Cling Film | Plastic Wrap/Saran Wrap |
| Baking Tray | Baking Sheet or Cookie Sheet |
| Sieve | Strainer |
| Hob | Stove |
| Tinned Food | Canned Food |
| Frying Pan | Skillet |
| Casserole dish | Dutch oven |
| Grill | Broiler |
If you know any more I can add to this list please let me know!