Sugar alternatives

[Nikkig]

Yesterday having missed baking and cooking since my diagnosis I decided to bake a cake. I used coconut flour and ground almonds to replace the flour and the cake looked beautiful, cut beautifully but tasted horrible due to the Splenda - I had done it by volume not weight but the aftertaste is horrible any suggestions would be gratefully received thanks!

 

[Grazer]

Canderel do a YELLOW granulated sweetener specifically designed for cooking. (Interestingly, the powder itself is white inside a yellow box!) Apparently normal sweeteners break down with heat, but this is supposed to have been developed to withstand the heat during baking. You do have to use it on a volume basis rather than weight, but I tend to use about 20% less. So rather than 10 teaspoons say, I'd use 8. Seems ok to me taste wise. I think other manufacturers (probably splenda included) do cooking versions of their standard sweetener.

 

[jopar]

If you go to the Splenda website they do have a collection of recipe's this will give you a good guide to what sort of quantities are used to replace sugar.. I've used it to make meringues, come out rather fine texture as not as course as using normal sugar, but lovely never the less..

Sweeteners, cooking at high temperatures can alter the tasted in sweeteners, So sometimes it's just a case of turning the oven down to a slightly lower temperature and cooking a little longer..

Don't forget if you'll replacing normal flour, with different flours or ground almonds then this can alter the taste of what you'll baking, this probably causes more tastes problems than the sweetener..

 

[andrewk]

We've made cakes several times using Splenda instead of sugar (and normal flour - so not for me). We've used it to sweeten home made apple sauce, cranberry sauce and lots of other stuff. We've put it in tea and coffee. I have yet to meet anyone who can tell that we've used Splenda instead of sugar.

If you made something using Splenda and it tastes horrible, I think you should be looking elsewhere for the problem.

Andrew

 

[tree-peony]

sorry Andrew, but I can spot it a mile off! It's the aftertaste... having said that I find that if I reduce the quantity it's not TOO bad.

 

[hanadr]

I use
Splenda, Xylitol or Stevia in cooking.
Hana

 

[Nikkig]

It was the after taste that spoilt it for me but I have always been able to taste artificial sweeteners and therefore avoided them, I shall try some others but until then it's back to the drawing board!

 

[WhitbyJet]

Nikki - I do quite a bit of baking, people ask me to make low carb cakes for them, I take them to coffee mornings, there is a girl who has diabetes in my daughters class so when its birthday time, her Mum and I bake for the party.

I use Zsweet for most of my baking, you can get it slightly cheaper if you dont buy the brand name Zsweet, but look for erythritol instead, usually on ebay. Its the same stuff. its best for chocolate cakes, muffins, etc

I do use Splenda sometimes,but never in anything that involves chocolate.
Do you want to PM your cake recipe, maybe something obvious comes to mind as to why your cake did not taste as nice as it looked?

 

[andrewk]

sorry Andrew, but I can spot it a mile off! It's the aftertaste

Have you done any blind testing? Even "obvious" differences often disappear when folks don't know in advance what is in the drink/food they consume.

Andrew

 

[Sanober]

I tried Splenda when I cut the sugar out from tea/coffee several years ago, I hated the chemically after taste.

Andrew, perhaps some folk just have more sensitive taste buds :lol:

Sorry Hana, I can't give you any recommendations though, I don't use artificial sweetners. Search the forum for Whitbyjet, she has posted some excellent baking recipes for Diabetics.

 

[andrewk]

I tried Splenda when I cut the sugar out from tea/coffee several years ago, I hated the chemically after taste.

Same question - blind testing?

You might be interested in this: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/shopping/2002/09/sweet_relief.single.html

Andrew

 

[Nikkig]

WhitbyJet - thank you so much for your offer I would love your recipe, I'm afraid that since my diagnosis, I lost my passion for cooking (my veggie gardening has suffered a little too!) but now feel that I can channel my love of cooking into good low carb food.

Nikki

 

[Osidge]

Hi all

I am a Splenda user in cooking and, like others, have given produce to others. I know there is Splenda in it but they do not and assume I have used sugar! I myself have not noticed any aftertaste as, of course, it is just another form of sugar (but without the huge carb value) and not an artificial sweetner like saccharin and aspartame etc.

Works for me

Regards

Doug

 

[clearviews]

I was a Splenda and Stevia user until I discovered xylitol. It does not leave an after taste when used in cooking at temperatures of over 170c.
Used to think that Splenda was OK before I tried this alternative.
Recently ran out of xylitol and used the Stevia to sweeten a batch of stewed rhubarb and I am sorry I did, ruined it for me (after taste). I think that another reason I switched to xylitol was the difference between the impact on my BGLs. Yes, I check every new product on myself with my meter because the carb reading on the pack is not necessarily the best guide to the impact on me.

 

[tisme]

I use xylitol made from birch tree extract from finland