A few years ago, I hosted a dinner party and, as I served dessert, the word “sugar” entered the conversation. The very word brought the lively conversation to a screeching halt. As my guests savored their cake, I could feel six pairs of ears eavesdropping as I discussed this emotionally laden word with the woman seated next to me.
Flourless Chocolate Cake with Fudge Sauce and Pomegranate Seeds
“My friend made a chocolate cake,” she was saying, “and wanted to cut back on sugar in her diet, so she made a few adjustments to the recipe. Instead of semisweet chocolate, she used unsweetened chocolate. In place of the sugar, she used a few tablespoons of Splenda.” But, my guest continued with a look of puzzlement on her face, “the cake didn’t taste like cake at all and it was hard and chewy and kind of rough-looking. My friend had to throw it away.”
In these days of low-sugar diets, many of us—like my guest’s friend—are tempted to skip the sugar in baking, or at least reduce it somewhat. Much maligned and often relegated to the back of the pantry, most of us regard sugar as an evil source of calories and are unaware of its other roles.
Sugar Is Everywhere and Hard to Avoid
Now, before I go any further let’s set the record straight. Sugar consumption is a hot topic. I think we eat far too much sugar. I look for ways to reduce it in my diet whenever I can. I avoid sugary soft drinks, only eat (small) desserts on special occasions, and watch for hidden sugar in commercial foods.
We are just leaving the holiday season with its sweets, parties, and dietary temptations. The American Heart Association (AHA) says that Americans eat about 22 teaspoons (110 grams) of added sugars a day. That’s 3.6 times the recommendation (or limit) for women and 2.4 times that for men.
At the same time, I also believe that sweet treats enhance our lives and have a meaningful role in a healthy diet. Deprivation doesn’t work for me, but I do try to make sure I don’t overdo it either.
The Role of Sugar in Baking
Nonetheless, after over two decades of developing gluten-free recipes, I have a healthy respect for the role of sugar in baking. Here, I mean white sugar or brown sugar, derived from either cane or beets. It is particularly important for us gluten-free bakers, because we already have to alter the flavor of our foods by removing wheat flour—and often dairy, as well. If you thinking about omitting sugar in your baking, here’s what you should know:
[1] First, the obvious. Sugar makes things taste sweet. You can replace sugar with a substitute sweetener but the cake may taste different because we associate “sweetness” with the distinct flavor of sugar (even though you may think of sugar as “neutral” because it’s white). Desserts are sweet so there has to be a sweetener of some sort in the recipe.
[2] Sugar accentuates the flavor of food, such as chocolate. A chocolate cake tastes downright strange without sugar, but delicious with the right amount. Try this experiment: Drink unsweetened tea and then add a little sugar to it and notice how much stronger the tea flavor is.
[3] Sugar tenderizes the crumb and makes it finer and moister. In contrast, substitutes like Splenda tend to produce a crumb that is larger, tougher, and somewhat drier.
[4] Sugar encourages the browning process on the crust of baked goods. It’s this browning that we often use as an indicator that a cake is “done,” and, it’s that tendency to brown that relates to its next benefit below.
[5] Sugar produces a slightly crispy, shiny exterior on baked goods that makes them more attractive. It’s the sucrose in sugar that does this and, since sucrose is missing in Splenda and other alternative sweeteners, it can’t promote the same level of browning.
Tips for Reduced-Sugar Baking
Next time you’re tempted to reduce or omit the sugar in baked goods, follow these tips:
[1] Instead of using all Splenda, use half white sugar and half Splenda. You will lower the calorie content, but your cake will be more tender, brown more attractively, and have a finer crumb than if you use all Splenda. A cake with Splenda may bake a little faster, so check it about five minutes before the recommended cooking time. It may also have a little less volume and not rise as high. Other granular sweeteners are now on the market; perhaps the topic for a later blog.
[2] Add a couple tablespoons of honey to the batter. Honey is a natural humectant and encourages the cake to retain moisture so it won’t dry out as quickly. Of course, honey has its own flavor which you may detect depending on the type and amount you use. Of course, there are many other sweeteners (agave nectar, coconut sugar, etc) but those are topics for another day.
[3] Increase the amount of fat in the recipe by 25%, but be sure to use healthier fats. Canola oil and (light) olive oil are good in baking and are good for you. Of course, this will increase the fat content and calorie content (each tablespoon of these oils is roughly 120 calories), but your baked goods will taste better and look better because fat is a flavor carrier and also tenderizes the crumb.
[4]Use a topping to conceal the rough crust found in low-sugar baked goods. For example, a streusel topping on low-sugar muffins will partially conceal their rough tops.
[5] Rather than drastically reducing the amount of sugar at the beginning of your sugar-reduced diet, gradually cut back on the sugar a little more each time you bake. Your palate will adjust and eventually you won’t want “ultra-sweet” foods as much.
[6] Try an alternative sweetener such as agave nectar. Even though it has calories, it has a low glycemic level (the rate at which it raises your blood sugar levels). If agave is not right for you, there are other sweeteners today (e.g., coconut sugar or Truvia, etc.) that I might have used had they been available back then. I sometimes use pureed prunes as a sweetener. But that is a topic for another day.
[7] Finally, (and this is the tough one) just try eating a smaller piece of those sugary baked foods to reduce your sugar intake. Maybe half a muffin, or a narrower slice of cake, or only one small cookie instead of a large one. Our portion sizes have crept up over the past couple of decades to the point where our muffins are anywhere from 3 to 5 times larger than a standard USDA serving.
What’s For Dessert?
You are probably wondering about that dessert my guests were eating. It was one of my “go-to” desserts—a flourless chocolate cake from my book Gluten-Free 101 made with one-third sugar, one-third Splenda, and one-third agave nectar. It was lightly dusted with powdered sugar, and garnished with mint and some pomegranate seeds but you could use a bright red strawberry . It’s main ingredient was almonds (lending protein and a nice, hearty, crunchy texture) and the slices were reasonably-sized—not the massive servings we often find in restaurants. My guests were relieved to learn that this dessert was a sweet, yet sensible ending to the meal…and, they ate every last crumb!
