A friend received a recipe from a French source, and is uncertain
about conversion:
____________________________________________
"...But it is in gm and liters. I've
already guessed by using conversion tables avaible on
the net. They are in parenthese's...see if you or
others could correct them?

I already know Eurpeon flour is different than ours.

Banana's cake !
100 g butter (1 stick + 2TBS of butter)
200 g sugar (1 2/3 cup)
3 eggs
3 big bananas (overripe)
200 g flour (1 2/3 cup)
1/2 bag of yeast (powder)(1 tsp)
1/2 coffee spoon of salt
1 spoon of vanilla powder (1 tsp liquid vanilla)
100 g walnut or hazel or almond in powder. (3/4 cup)
In a bowl churn sugar and butter in cream.
Add broken eggs one by one, crushed bananas, the
flour, salt, yeast, vanilla, nuts
(or others) chopped.
Mixe well.
Cook in a cake pan (28 cm) [11 inch] well buttered
in medium heat.
Turn it out as still a little hot and decorate with
slices of bananas diped
quickly in lemon juice.
________________________________________
Any obvious corrections

Frogleg wrote:
>
> A friend received a recipe from a French source, and is uncertain
> about conversion:
> ____________________________________________
> "...But it is in gm and liters. I've
> already guessed by using conversion tables avaible on
> the net. They are in parenthese's...see if you or
> others could correct them?
>
> I already know Eurpeon flour is different than ours.


>
> Banana's cake !
> 100 g butter (1 stick + 2TBS of butter)

That's a little over 100 g butter. Hold a little back and see how the
texture goes.

> 200 g sugar (1 2/3 cup)

I'd go with 1 1/2 cups

> 3 eggs
> 3 big bananas (overripe)

> 200 g flour (1 2/3 cup)

Also start with 1 1/2 cups and add more if needed

> 1/2 bag of yeast (powder)(1 tsp)
> 1/2 coffee spoon of salt
> 1 spoon of vanilla powder (1 tsp liquid vanilla)

That should be fine. Vanilla powder can usually be replaced volume per
volume by a good extract.

> 100 g walnut or hazel or almond in powder. (3/4 cup)

Maybe start with 1/2 a cup of ground nuts and see how it goes.

> In a bowl churn sugar and butter in cream.
> Add broken eggs one by one, crushed bananas, the
> flour, salt, yeast, vanilla, nuts
> (or others) chopped.
> Mixe well.
> Cook in a cake pan (28 cm) [11 inch] well buttered
> in medium heat.
> Turn it out as still a little hot and decorate with
> slices of bananas diped
> quickly in lemon juice.
> ________________________________________
> Any obvious corrections

On Tue, 11 May 2004 18:14:34 -0600, Arri London >
wrote:

>Frogleg wrote:
>>
>> A friend received a recipe from a French source, and is uncertain
>> about conversion:

>> 100 g butter (1 stick + 2TBS of butter)
>
>That's a little over 100 g butter. Hold a little back and see how the
>texture goes.
>
>> 200 g sugar (1 2/3 cup)
>
>I'd go with 1 1/2 cups
>
>> 200 g flour (1 2/3 cup)
>
>Also start with 1 1/2 cups and add more if needed
>
>> 1 spoon of vanilla powder (1 tsp liquid vanilla)
>
>That should be fine. Vanilla powder can usually be replaced volume per
>volume by a good extract.
>
>> 100 g walnut or hazel or almond in powder. (3/4 cup)
>
>Maybe start with 1/2 a cup of ground nuts and see how it goes.

I searched on my own and found this very nice conversion calculator:

http://gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm


One thing that puzzles me about the recipe is the inclusion of yeast
with nothing about proofing or rising. I've never used yeast as a
leavener without *doing* something with it first. Nor seen any 'cake'
recipe with yeast in it. Except for the yeast (instead of baking
powder), this is plain ol' banana bread. I think my friend has been
deceived by *her* French friend. :-)

"Frogleg" > wrote in message
...
> One thing that puzzles me about the recipe is the inclusion of yeast
> with nothing about proofing or rising. I've never used yeast as a
> leavener without *doing* something with it first. Nor seen any 'cake'
> recipe with yeast in it. Except for the yeast (instead of baking
> powder), this is plain ol' banana bread. I think my friend has been
> deceived by *her* French friend. :-)

I suspect that the original recipe called for "levure chimique" which is
baking powder. In translation the 'chimique' was dropped and only
'levure', which is yeast, was translated.

Gabby

Frogleg wrote:
>
> On Tue, 11 May 2004 18:14:34 -0600, Arri London >
> wrote:
>
> >Frogleg wrote:
> >>
> >> A friend received a recipe from a French source, and is uncertain
> >> about conversion:
>
> >> 100 g butter (1 stick + 2TBS of butter)
> >
> >That's a little over 100 g butter. Hold a little back and see how the
> >texture goes.
> >
> >> 200 g sugar (1 2/3 cup)
> >
> >I'd go with 1 1/2 cups
> >
> >> 200 g flour (1 2/3 cup)
> >
> >Also start with 1 1/2 cups and add more if needed
> >
> >> 1 spoon of vanilla powder (1 tsp liquid vanilla)
> >
> >That should be fine. Vanilla powder can usually be replaced volume per
> >volume by a good extract.
> >
> >> 100 g walnut or hazel or almond in powder. (3/4 cup)
> >
> >Maybe start with 1/2 a cup of ground nuts and see how it goes.
>
> I searched on my own and found this very nice conversion calculator:
>
> http://gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm

Yes but conversions from weight to volume can never be truly accurate.
>
> One thing that puzzles me about the recipe is the inclusion of yeast
> with nothing about proofing or rising. I've never used yeast as a
> leavener without *doing* something with it first. Nor seen any 'cake'
> recipe with yeast in it. Except for the yeast (instead of baking
> powder), this is plain ol' banana bread. I think my friend has been
> deceived by *her* French friend. :-)

We have plenty of cake recipes that require yeast. Common enough but
perhaps not in the US. In a batter the yeast doesn't always seem to need
to proof that much. The standing around it does while adding the other
ingredients is enough. Yeasted cakes avoid that chemical taste that
baking powder sometimes gives.

I make yeast pancakes all the time and no proofing is required. Of
course they taste better when allowed to sit around before cooking, but
it isn't essential.

Here's an Americanised recipe for a German butter cake:

2 envelopes dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3/4 cup hot milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
4 cups sifted flour
grated rind of one lemon
3 eggs, beaten

Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir. Chop the butter and add to the
hot milk with sugar and salt. Stir until the butter is melted and the
sugar and salt dissolved. Add the dissolved yeast.
Place the flour and lemon rind in mixer bowl and make a well in the
center. Add the yeast-milk mixture and the eggs. Mix on low speed until
smooth.
Pour into a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan and spread the batter smoothly. Let
stand for 45 minutes.

Prepare the topping:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup slivered almonds

Chop the butter with the sugar and cinnamon, mix in the almonds.
Sprinkle over the batter.

Bake in 375 F oven for about 30 minutes until top is syrupy and golden.

On Thu, 13 May 2004 17:31:50 -0600, Arri London >
wrote:

>Frogleg wrote:
>>

>> I searched on my own and found this very nice conversion calculator:
>>
>> http://gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm
>
>Yes but conversions from weight to volume can never be truly accurate.

Did you check the URL? It specifically addresses the question of
weight to volume and has a neat chart of typical conversions of common
ingredients.
>>
>> One thing that puzzles me about the recipe is the inclusion of yeast
>> with nothing about proofing or rising. I've never used yeast as a
>> leavener without *doing* something with it first. Nor seen any 'cake'
>> recipe with yeast in it. Except for the yeast (instead of baking
>> powder), this is plain ol' banana bread. I think my friend has been
>> deceived by *her* French friend. :-)
>
>We have plenty of cake recipes that require yeast. Common enough but
>perhaps not in the US. In a batter the yeast doesn't always seem to need
>to proof that much. The standing around it does while adding the other
>ingredients is enough. Yeasted cakes avoid that chemical taste that
>baking powder sometimes gives.

<recipe snipped>

I see that your recipe (thank you) includes both initial blooming of
the yeast and a 45-minute rise time for the batter. This makes sense.
Simply adding 'raw' yeast to a mix and popping it in the oven doesn't.
It seems Gabby's insight into "levure chimique" is the probable cause
of the confusion.

Frogleg wrote:
>
> On Thu, 13 May 2004 17:31:50 -0600, Arri London >
> wrote:
>
> >Frogleg wrote:
> >>
>
> >> I searched on my own and found this very nice conversion calculator:
> >>
> >> http://gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm
> >
> >Yes but conversions from weight to volume can never be truly accurate.
>
> Did you check the URL? It specifically addresses the question of
> weight to volume and has a neat chart of typical conversions of common
> ingredients.

Yes, but those are just very good approximations. In cooking it doesn't
usually matter all that much.

A given mass of flour will not occupy precisely the same volume if
someone shakes it down to maximum compaction or just piles it into the
cup and levels it off.
> >>
> >> One thing that puzzles me about the recipe is the inclusion of yeast
> >> with nothing about proofing or rising. I've never used yeast as a
> >> leavener without *doing* something with it first. Nor seen any 'cake'
> >> recipe with yeast in it. Except for the yeast (instead of baking
> >> powder), this is plain ol' banana bread. I think my friend has been
> >> deceived by *her* French friend. :-)
> >
> >We have plenty of cake recipes that require yeast. Common enough but
> >perhaps not in the US. In a batter the yeast doesn't always seem to need
> >to proof that much. The standing around it does while adding the other
> >ingredients is enough. Yeasted cakes avoid that chemical taste that
> >baking powder sometimes gives.
>
> <recipe snipped>
>
> I see that your recipe (thank you) includes both initial blooming of
> the yeast and a 45-minute rise time for the batter. This makes sense.
> Simply adding 'raw' yeast to a mix and popping it in the oven doesn't.
> It seems Gabby's insight into "levure chimique" is the probable cause
> of the confusion.

That could be of course. But yeast in cakes is common enough in Europe.
The recipe I posted doesn't include initial blooming/proofing of the
yeast. There's nothing in the water to make it proof and I just add the
yeast/water to the other ingredients as soon as I've mixed it.

Fresh yeast doesn't need proofing and in a batter doesn't even need real
rising, other than the time taken to mix ingredients. Dried yeast is
another matter but 'cheating' works there too in some recipes.