Baking with sugar substitutes
Now that everyone is eating ‘sugar-free’ en masse, there’s quite a bit of sleight of hand going on with sugar substitutes. From synthetic sweeteners to ‘natural’ palm sugar. But you can’t simply replace one with the other.
First of all, a spoiler alert: sugar is sugar. So a cake sweetened with coconut blossom sugar, maple or agave syrup is anything but sugar-free, and your body doesn’t distinguish between ‘natural’ and refined sugars either. Both cause a rapid and substantial spike in your blood sugar level. There is little difference in nutritional value either, except when it comes to dates, which contain a lot of fiber that slows down the digestive process and prevents a spike.
Sweeteners, on the other hand, are sugar-free, but aspartame, tagatose and stevia don’t have the same properties as sugar. Sugar is not only a sweetener, but also a leavening agent and binding agent, and it provides structure and moisture. In addition, many sweeteners quickly develop a bitter aftertaste.
Still want to give it a try? Then keep the following in mind:
Stevia
Stevia is a sweetener extracted from the South American stevia plant. You buy it as an extract because in its pure form it is far too sweet.
- But even in this form, it is still 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. That’s why you need much less of it. It’s difficult to give a general guideline. Stevia has quite a bitter aftertaste and is therefore often mixed with other sweeteners. As a result, the amount to use varies each time.
- Because you need so much less of it, you lose a bulking agent. You can make up for that with a liquid bulking agent such as juice, lemon curd, egg white or water. If the recipe called for 100 grams of sugar, use 33 grams of bulking agent.
- Unlike sugar, stevia does not rise. You will therefore need to use baking powder or self-rising flour.
- Sugar causes the Maillard reaction, the chemical reaction responsible for browning and that lovely crust. Stevia does not, which means the baked goods remain pale. You can disguise this by adding a little cocoa powder for color.
Tagatose
Tagatose is extracted from lactose—milk sugar, that is. Its texture and flavor are similar to those of regular sugar, but it still tastes somewhat chemical. You usually buy it under the brand name ‘Tagatesse’, which also contains sucralose, isomalt and dietary fiber.
- Because of the sucralose, it is twice as sweet as sugar. So you should halve the amount.
- Baked goods made with Tagatesse become slightly drier and less airy, something you can remedy by adding fruit and a little baking powder.
- Unlike stevia, Tagatesse browns quickly, so set the oven a little lower (max. 160°C) and extend the baking time slightly.
Aspartame
Are you already panicking at the sight of the word aspartame? There’s no need. Although this artificial sweetener is made from the excrement of the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterium, research has so far shown that it is safe for consumption, except for people with the hereditary metabolic disorder phenylketonuria.
- Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar, so it should also be added in much smaller quantities.
- When heated, aspartame loses its sweetness, so you can’t use it in cakes that need to be baked. It is suitable for desserts such as pudding.
So there are quite a few essential points to keep in mind and—and opinions will surely differ on this—we doubt whether sweeteners really improve the flavor. But hey: nothing ventured, nothing gained! Have you discovered the ultimate sweetener baking recipe? We’d love to hear about it!
Read also:
