This is a hard question to answer because it depends. It depends on the ingredient and the bake itself. Before you substitute an ingredient, do a little research online but don’t believe everything you read (flax for eggs has never worked in my thick cocoa brownies, for example. And if I see one more source suggesting to substitute buttermilk with lemon juice or vinegar mixed with milk, I will scream!!). In all honesty, most of the time I won’t be able to tell you if it will be successful if I haven’t tried it myself.
Simply put, because this is how I bake. I often publish flour quantities in weight rather than cups. Even when I write cups, I probably weighed the flour when I actually made the bake (always at 120grams). A packed up of flour can weigh up to 20 more grams than a loose cup. Flour makes all the difference in a tender cake and a soft challah. Having said that, for other ingredients I mostly use cups and measuring spoons to bake because it’s simpler, faster and in many cases won’t make a big difference. If you want to bake often, have a scale and a solid set of measuring cups and spoons in the kitchen.
It happens to the best of us. I fail all. the. time. I can’t even tell you how many times I messed up my own hidden rainbow cake or cherry blossom cake. Why do things go wrong? Sometimes it’s because we made a hasty substitution, or we didn’t follow the methodology correctly. I have found that one of the best ways to avoid failing is to read the full recipe intently before I begin baking. This allows me to first, ensure I have everything I need (so I’m not making any last-minute, ill-informed substitutions) and second, to make sure I understand all the steps before I start. The other, and I’ve found often, thing that can make recipes fail is using different brands of ingredients. This is why I’ll usually try to specify which brand I used. If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t give up (if I gave up, this blog wouldn’t exist!). Try again, and you can always email me (or DM me on instagram – I’m faster there!) to troubleshoot.
I do sponsored posts with select brands that fit into the buttermilk ethos. And by that I mean, brands that I myself use in my own kitchen – things that are affordable or worth the price for the quality. This applies to to ingredients, tools, gadgets or appliances used for baking. So, for example, you will never see me do a sponsored post with Ferrari (if you will indulge this insane idea, lol). Unless they want my geometric rainbow cake riding on the hood that is….
By using affiliate links and hosting ads on the site. In some of my posts you might see a link to a particular product I use or recommend using, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase them. The links and ads earn me a modest revenue that helps keep the site afloat.
Ok, I saw this one coming. Maybe because THEY ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING EVER?! Or maybe because I am a child of the 80s and grew up on Lisa Frank school supplies? But ok, the current obsession likely has more to do with the fact that I have two kids. The elder is really, really, into rainbows and unicorns, and is a huge source of inspiration for so much of my baking. Now if you’ll excuse me, she has just asked me if I can make “cookie dough brownies” and “eyes-cream” so I need to imagi-bake my way through those.
I do. You can read it here.
