Sugar-free baking

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Posted at 4:07PM, 14 July 2011 by Caroline Hire - Food editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Baking is one of life's pleasures but it comes at a price. It's hard when you've cooked up a batch of cupcakes or a big fat Victoria sandwich, not to consume it to the last crumb. That's all very well on a special occasion but who wants to save their baking forays for just that?

In a quest to make baking a little bit healthier, I spoke to Good Food nutritionist Kerry Torrens about some natural alternatives to sugar:

Xylitol
"Despite its synthetic sounding name, xylitol is made from the bark of birch trees and looks and tastes like sugar. It has less of an impact on blood sugar levels because it is low GI, meaning it gives a sweet taste without the resulting 'rush' that regular sugar gives - this makes it useful for diabetics.

"It's lower in calories and doesn't cause dental decay. You can use it as a substitute in many recipes [ratio 1:1], but not those which use yeast as a raising agent. Cakes sweetened with xylitol don't colour very much, not a problem for coffee or chocolates cakes."

Agave nectar
"Agave nectar (or syrup) makes a good substitute for golden or maple syrup and is available in mild or rich flavours. It has a low GI but is sweeter than sugar, so you'll need less. It works well in chewy bakes like flapjacks as well as sticky cakes or muffins. It's a liquid which means you'll need to reduce the fluid in the recipe. You should also lower the cooking temperature. It's produced from the same Mexican cactus as tequila."

Fruit and vegetables
"Naturally sweet ingredients like fresh, frozen or dried fruits including apricots, banana, dates, raisins and figs as well as grated sweet vegetables like carrots, parsnips and beetroot all work well in bakes and cakes. Using these also adds moisture and density as well as fibre and other valuable nutrients including vitamin C and minerals like potassium and iron."

But what about honey?
"Honey works well in moist, dense full-flavoured bakes. It's sweeter than sugar so you'll need to use less and because honey is liquid you'll need less fluid (approx one fifth less). Honey is still high in calories and causes increases in blood sugar."

Oh well, perhaps not.

The recipes
So those are the facts, armed with these I chose a few of our most popular recipes and substituted the ingredients. First up, our 5-star rated Classic Victoria sandwich. I replaced the 200g caster sugar with 200g xylitol in the cake, a pretty straight swap as caster sugar doesn't have a particularly distinctive flavour unlike its brown relatives. The result, a beautifully light cake with some colour. I replaced the jam with St Dalfour jam (naturally sweeetened with grape juice) and gave the buttercream a miss. It didn't need it but if you were desperate you could add some lightly whipped double cream instead. Verdict: a success.

Second experiment, was Apricot, honey & pistachio flapjacks. I tried swapping the soft brown sugar for an equal quantity of agave syrup and kept the rest of the ingredients the same. This didn't work. The flapjacks didn't hold together very well. I think a reduced amount and no honey would have worked better. They overbrowned a little too, so lowering the oven temperature would have helped too.

Not wanting to give up on agave syrup, I tried the Coconut carrot slices. Instead of 300g light muscovado sugar, I used 150g agave syrup. For the topping I used 30g agave syrup and no melted butter. All the remaining ingredients were exactly the same and the oven temperature. This cake turned out beautifully, I'll definitely do this one again.

Finally, I had a go at the Anzac biscuits which I've had many a time. I replaced the caster sugar with xylitol and the golden syrup with agave. These tasted delicious but were slightly cakey in texture. They were different to how they usually turn out but still went down a treat.

Have you tried any alternatives to sugar in your baking? What do you think? Are we just spoiling the fun?!

Comments

1-20 of 26 comments

Devonshire Dumpling

15 July 2011, 11:37AM
Devonshire Dumpling

Oh thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! I'd never heard of "Xylitol" or "Agave nectar" before, so have never been able to make my diabetic husband the sort of treats you showcase here. It's not that he craves sweet food all the time, but just occasionally (and birthday, Christmas, etc) he would really enjoy a piece of cake or a proper pudding! I will certainly be checking out these two products to see how we can use them. Thanks again ... you've made my day!! :-))

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Beckie

15 July 2011, 12:51PM
Beckie

I had a go at making sugar free cream cheese frosting for my sugar free peach and strawberry cupcakes. It seemed to work out quite well, using cream cheese, whipped double cream and agave nectar. Need's to say in the fridge for a couple of hours before using.

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Ellie Reade

15 July 2011, 1:32PM
Ellie Reade

Hi Beckie - that founds a great cupcake recipe - where can I get it from?

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Rosi Ubisquitous

15 July 2011, 3:28PM
Rosi Ubisquitous

HI There I run a small bakery specialising in organic cakes and biscuits made without wheat, refined sugar, soya, dairy and eggs. www.ubisquitous.co.uk I use a combination of xylitol, agave, Sweet Freedom and fruits, either pureed or dried, in place of cane sugar: great if, like me, you cant eat sugar or you just want to enjoy a piece of cake with your afternoon cuppa without the sugar high/ energy slump. Devonshire Dumpling- you just need to be wary of the amount of agave you use, as it is still high in fructose, but you need so much less than sugar it should be fine as a treat for your husband. My mum is diabetic and she is always well stocked with Ubisquitous treats for those times when only a cake will do. Sweet Freedom is another alternative, made from apple, grape, and carob concentrate and has a very low GI. Happy Baking x

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R Zantvoort

15 July 2011, 4:41PM
R Zantvoort

I am experimenting with Stevia right now. So far I've had some successes and some memorable failures. Successes include banana and sultana cake (fat-free and sugar-free), and various types of muffins (blueberry and lemon, cranberry and cinnamon). Failures include brownies and biscuits. Recipes need quite a bit of adapting when using Stevia, since 0.5g of Stevia replaces 150g of sugar, so the liquid/solid balance is not quite right, but trial and error have allowed me to succeed with the above 2 or 3 recipes.

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Janet

17 July 2011, 3:50PM
Janet

I am diabetic and wondering where to get Xylitol and agave nectar that sounds good

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R Zantvoort

18 July 2011, 7:54AM
R Zantvoort

Janet, I bake the cakes mentioned above for a diabetic in my family. Stevia has recently become more available even here in France; you can find it in several forms (crystals, liquid, lumps...) in a good supermarket, though I bought mine online. As for the recipes, I found the muffins in a low-GI cookbook and the banana loaf in a low-fat cookbook. Both are suitable for diabetics if a sugar substitute is used. Good luck!

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Res-eeps

18 July 2011, 4:00PM
Res-eeps

I think Rosi Ubisquitous is quite right to focus on the GI index rating as an indicator of the blood sugar spike to follow... I too have a bakery business, though smaller still!, and I often make 'diabetic-friendly' cakes. Fructose is a bit of an unknown quantity, since GI ratings can vary, I assume depending upon the fruit source. Fortunately, many readily available sources now state the GI score for their particular fruit-based sweetener -- and, definitely, Sweet Freedom's syrup and nectar options vary in terms of flavour/flavourlesness and GI rating. It's really clever stuff :-) I only wish that stevia were more widely available in the UK -- I'd really appreciate any pointers!

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R Zantvoort

18 July 2011, 9:40PM
R Zantvoort

@Res-eeps; Check out naturallygreen, or even ebay. Or jusst google it. It appear to be legally available now in the UK. Good luck!

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Anita

21 July 2011, 10:45AM
Anita

I use Hermesetas or simimar Supermarket own-brand aspartame sweeteners (the kind sold in large jars) to replace sugars in cake receipies for my diabetic husband. They rise a little less well, but are still acceptable (adjusting the amount of raising agent and type of flour can mitigate this). The trick with this sweetener is to REPLACE ON A VOLUME BASIS not weight, easy if you are starting from US or AUstralian reciies that use 'cups'. Otherwise just measure the volume first of the the suggested amount of sugar, in a jug, and then replace with the sweeetener.

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Caroline

22 July 2011, 10:37AM
Caroline

Thanks very much for all your comments. It's great to hear about some of the other alternatives. Janet, you can get xylitol from Sainsbury's, Ocado and Holland & Barrett. Agave syrup is available from these three as well as Asda and Tesco. You might need to shop online or go to one of their bigger stores. With regards to diabetes sufferers, please check with a doctor/ nutritionist to ensure these products are suitable for your individual needs.

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Marion

14 August 2011, 4:11PM
Marion

All this work searching out alternatives for sugar is wonderful - now we need someone to do it for lactose! I bake and cook a lot and mostly can work out great substitutes, I just wish all recipes would be provided with alternatives since I can never be sure how it will turn out when I try a new one for the first time.

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PattiP

14 September 2011, 7:33PM
PattiP

I am a Type 1 diabetic and a keen cook. Whilst substitutes for sugar are helpful, it's the total carbohydrates in a recipe that count for diabetics. I, along with a team of diabetics, have adapted, tried and tested cake recipes which can be found here http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/forum/Blah.pl?b-805/ It surprises some that flour is as bad as sugar for raising BGs. Most of our recipes use ground almonds as a substitute.

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SandieD

4 January 2012, 1:54PM
SandieD

I have tried to replace the sugar in my German style apple cake. Using Splenda totally was not a great success. Then I read the hints & tips on their web site. Because sugar also acts as a bulking agent in baking, it needs to be replaced by something else. This being dried milk powder(skimmed of course). It doesn't change the taste too much either. Will be trying to replace flour next. Might try the idea of ground almonds.

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Angela

4 January 2012, 8:36PM
Angela

On a visit to Australia recently some of my friends were using coconut sugar as an alternative. Apparently it has lots of nutrients, and is also a low GI sugar alternative. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_sugar. The Anzac biscuits I tasted that were made with coconut sugar tasted really good.

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Foodie

7 January 2012, 12:40PM
Foodie

This is all helpful stuff. If any of you are willing to share your receipes many of us would be grateful. I've neither the time or money to experiment until I get it right!

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katieeee

15 April 2012, 5:35PM
katieeee

I stick to a low carb/no added sugar diet and super keen on cooking and baking, I use Xylitol in everything that calls for sugar! For brown sugar, I use Ideal No Calorie Brown Sweetener, it tastes exactly the same as brown sugar and is the same cup for cup, I can't recommend it enough! Here's my sugar-free cooking/baking blog - http://katiesthehobbitskitchen.blogspot.co.uk/

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shiv

18 July 2012, 8:44PM
shiv

Please ask all pet owners to be aware that xylitol is highly poisonous to dogs and a small amount can kill. 3g of xylitol can kill a 65lb dog. http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp

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Pollyapple

18 July 2012, 9:27PM
Pollyapple

shiv thank you SO much for the warning! my dog Jimmy loves my baking and I shall be very careful what I use instead of sugar after reading your post x

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Sue's recipes

18 July 2012, 10:08PM
Sue's recipes

I suffer from Hypoglycemia and at long last someone has had to sense to publish a few sugar free recipes Please keep it up I will pass this around to fellow suffers

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