What does an American recipe mean by “1 tablespoon vanilla”? I have a recipe for a self-saucing pudding that separates into a sponge top with a custard layer beneath, rather like Lemon Surprise Pudding. It calls for one tablespoon of vanilla.

For an idea of the size of the recipe, it starts:

1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar


This is surely not ground vanilla pods or vanilla extract, as so much would be overpowering.

Is there something similar in the English pantry that is similar, or can someone provide an equivalent amount of vanilla extract?
It means vanilla extract.

Whether it's correct or not is hard to say. It does sound like a lot for something with those quantities, so it's possible they meant to say a teaspoon, which is a pretty common amount, resulting in a subtle but noticeable flavor in a batch of chocolate chip cookies, for example.

Or it's possible they just wanted whatever it is you're making to really taste like vanilla, rather than just have a hint of vanilla in the background. Vanilla really is a subtle flavor, so it takes a lot to make it strong, and it's hard for it to really be overpowering.