While the trend for sweet desserts is taking hold among renowned chefs and pastry chefs, large-scale distribution is also following the trend. And there are more and more alternatives to replace refined sugar on the shelves. Presentation of these products to be used in cooking as in pastry to replace white sugar. Not very interesting from a nutritional point of view.
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Why is it Good to Replace Refined Sugar?
Without firing red bullets at refined sugar, the trend for raw products exposed to the nutritional poverty of white sugar. Indeed, white sugar, which has no other flavor than that of sugar, brings – apart from calories no added value to a dessert or a cake. While other unrefined natural sugars like muscovado, rapadura or whole cane sugar, bring more flavor to preparation while having a higher sweetening power than white sugar.
The Many Alternatives to Replace Refined Sugar
Agave Syrup
The advantage of agave syrup, extracted from blue agave, is that it is sweet and works wonderfully in dessert as in pastry. Thanks to its low glycemic index, it is ideal for people with diabetes, unlike white sugar, which has a high glycemic index (so will cause a spike in blood sugar). In addition, its other advantage in cooking is that it dissolves easily in the cold, and does not need to be heated to be worked.
Honey
More aromatic than refined white sugar, why not use honey in our recipes? In addition, since there is no single sugar, there is no honey, but honeys! Acacia, chestnut, rosemary, fir, lavender, orange tree, thyme, kinds of honey are numerous and all different. But beware, when you replace refined sugar with honey in a recipe, you don’t put the same grammage. Indeed honey has a strong sweetening power, which allows reducing the quantity.
Also, honey is a “liquid” product where sugar is a portion of “dry” food. In pastry making, this can, therefore, also have an impact on the consistency of a cake. Finally, to avoid “fake honeys,” we are rather moving towards whose origin is clearly indicated. To avoid “mixtures” based on industrial sugars from corn, wheat, rice, dyes, flavors… Honey must contain honey. Point.
Maple Syrup
With its many minerals and its typical flavor, maple syrup is a choice substitute in the kitchen. Perfect on pancakes, it is also ideal for lacing meat, cake, flavoring Greek yogurt, or softening a hot drink.
Kitul Sap
Too little known, kitul sap is yet a perfect alternative to replace refined sugar. Vitamins, minerals, the perfect combination of the three sugars (fructose, glucose, and sucrose) preventing the storage of these carbohydrates, low glycemic index, usable cold as hot. But what are we waiting for to use it?
Coconut Sugar
In terms of calories, coconut sugar (386 kcal / 100g) and white sugar (399 kcal / 100g) are equal. So this is not where the first one stands out. In fact, this caramelized sugar contains vitamins and minerals that refined sugar does not have. Also, in use, it has a higher sweetening power, and can, therefore, be consume in less quantity.
Fruit Compote
To replace refined sugar in a recipe, you can also use fruit compote, homemade, if possible. Thanks to the natural sugar contained in fruits – fructose we can prepare a 100% fruit compote that will give taste and indulgence to any cake dough.
Visible / Hidden Sugar
Obviously, all these alternatives are perfect in the case where we go to the stove and prepare our recipes from A to Z. Unfortunately, sugar is very often added to industrial products, and in this case, is called “hidden sugar.” If technical cookies, for example, do not hide their excess sugar, other products are widely provided with them – sliced bread, prepared dish, pizza – and definitely hide their game well. Purchase, you must take the time to decrypt the labels to avoid unpleasant surprises.
