So you just starting making some royal icing, egg whites are already being whipped and oh no! You realize you are out of confectioners sugar (also known as powdered sugar)! What do you do so you don’t waste the ingredients you’ve already mixed and are able to finish decorating your cookies?

I have done this more times than I care to admit, and it can get really frustrating when you’re trying to look up the substitute for confectioners sugar while the standing mixer is frothing your egg whites.

Here is a list of the most common baking substitutes that I’ve found during my mis-adventures in baking:

Confectioners Sugar

Blend together (I recommend in a food-processor). 1 cup = 1 3/4 cups confectioners sugar

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Buttermilk

For 1 cup of buttermilk

• 1 tablespoon white vinegar (or lemon juice)
• enough milk to measure 1 cup (with the tablespoon of white vinegar)

Stir and let sit for approximately 5 minutes.

Second Method

• 1 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup milk

In a pinch, I have found that heavy cream can also substitute for buttermilk, depending on what you are baking. I used it to make a Cardamom Coffee Cake

Baking doesn’t need to be exact. While a lot of science goes into how fluffy your cake turns out, feel free to play around with different substitutes, you’ll never know what you’ll discover.