How Many Cups In A Pound Of Powdered Sugar - Find Out Here

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Is the recipe you are working on calling for several cups of powdered sugar, but you don't know how much pounds of sugar to buy? It's actually a very common question, so how many cups in a pound of powdered sugar?

In this article, we will determine the exact amount of cups in one pound of powdered sugar. If you are into baking, knowing the basic conversions is essential for a perfect result. The number of cups may vary depending on the type of powdered sugar you use: sifted or unsifted. Learn more about it below.

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How Many Cups In A Pound Of Powdered Sugar? What Is Powdered Sugar?So, How Many Cups In A Pound Of Powdered Sugar?Measuring Powdered SugarSifting Powdered Sugar1 Cup Powdered Sugar, Sifted Vs 1 Cup Sifted Powdered SugarFinal Thoughts

What Is Powdered Sugar?

Powdered or confectioners’ sugar is a finely ground granulated sugar that contains about 3% cornstarch. The cornstarch will prevent the powdered sugar to cake. Its smooth texture suits best for making the icing, frosting, and other cake embellishments.

To bring a subtle sweetness, powdered sugar is often dusted on any baked products, like brownies and cakes. This type of sugar is grounded in three degrees of fineness: XXX, XXXX, 10X. While the finest powdered sugar, 10x, is often used in whipping cream and confections, the other two types are utilized by industrial bakers.

So, How Many Cups In A Pound Of Powdered Sugar?

The number of cups may vary depending on the kind of powdered sugar you’ll need: sifted or unsifted. According to BHG, one pound of sugar is equal to 3 1/2-4 cups of unsifted or 4 1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar. There is a little difference the amount of sugar because sifted powdered sugar.

You might find it bothersome to sift powdered sugar all the time, but you may consider doing it when you’re making frosting or icing. If you’ve tried sifting a powdered sugar, you’ll probably encounter those round hard nuggets left in the sifter. These hard particles will make your frosting gritty if you left them unsifted.

Measuring Powdered Sugar

If you’re working on a recipe that calls for an unsifted powdered sugar, you can measure the sugar right away. First, you need to prepare these items: measuring cups or spoons, knife, and bowl. Just like measuring any dry ingredients, measure powdered sugar using the scoop and sweep motion.

Watch how to measure dry ingredients in this video.

Using your measuring cups or spoons, scoop your powdered sugar from its package and sweep the mounds above with a back of a knife to level it off. Transfer the measured sugar into a bowl. Don’t be tempted to shake or tap the measuring cup because it will cause more sugar to settle in your cup, leaving you with more sugar than your recipe demands.

Sifting Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar may develop some hardened lumps due to the moisture absorbed from the air. These lumps can be removed through sifting so it’s essential that you sift powdered sugar especially in making icing or frosting. All the equipment you need is a fine mesh strainer or a hand-cranked sifter and a wide bowl.

In a bowl, hold your sifter or strainer above and pour a couple of spoonfuls into the sifter. It’s not advisable to fill the sifter with the sugar because it tends to spill over and create a mess. Shake the strainer or work the crank gently.

If you have no fine mesh strainer or hand-cranked sifter you can remove the hard lumps by stirring the sugar with a wire whisk. You can also make the sugar fluffy with a fork.

1 Cup Powdered Sugar, Sifted Vs 1 Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar

If a recipe calls for one cup powdered sugar, sifted, it actually means different with one cup sifted powdered sugar. See the difference in the placement of commas. The comma may divide two instructions- measuring and sifting.

When a recipe specifies one cup powdered sugar, sifted, it means measuring the sugar first then sifting it. One cup sifted powdered sugar, on the other hand, means sifting the sugar first then measuring it. This may result in a lesser amount of powdered sugar because the sugar is aerated.

Final Thoughts

How many cups in a pound of powdered sugar? One pound is equal to 3 1/2-4 cups of unsifted powdered sugar or 4 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar. To measure, simply scoop some powdered sugar and level off the top with the back of a knife. You can sift the flour using a fine mesh strainer, hand-cranked sifter, wire whisk, or a fork.

If you have tried measuring powdered sugar using our methods in this article let us know in the comments section and we would love to know how it worked out for you. You can also share this article with your friends and family if you find this informative.

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Paula Hughes I’m Paula, and I’m absolutely in love with food blogs. I’m a foodie at heart but being the mother of two small boys, it’s not always easy to keep up with fancy dinners… so I rely on the support of other blogging moms like me to help along the way.