Shared Kitchen

Real food from scratch

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Shop
  • Search

Sugar – sweet nothing or something more?

7 August 2017 by Julie Biuso Leave a Comment

Sugar in cake making

Sugar sweetens cake batters and helps to brown the outside of a cake as it caramelises during baking. It also keeps the texture of the crumb tender.
 And it helps keep a cake edible for longer.

Caster sugar – also called superfine granulated. This is finer than standard granulated sugar and is used in baking because it is easier to cream with butter or mix with other ingredients.

Demerara – these hard, light-brown crystals with a mild caramel flavour get their name from Demerara in Guyana. They are especially good for forming a crunchy topping on baking.

Granulated sugar – another way to describe regular white sugar (the sort you serve with a cup of tea). It’s used in syrups because it produces a clearer result than caster sugar, which can produce a cloudy syrup.

Icing sugar – also known as confectioner’s sugar, this is smooth, fine and powdery. Starch is often added to it to keep it lump-free.

Soft brown sugar – soft sugar with a sweet caramel flavour.

Muscovado – a raw sugar with a strong taste of molasses that adds plenty of flavour to rich fruitcakes, boiled fruit cakes and other dried fruit baking. It is also good in chutneys and pickles where a dark colour is welcome (if you want light coloured or clear pickles, use white sugar). Pass it through a coarse sieve before using.

Palm sugar – made from the sap extracted from young palms, boiled down to a syrup and dehydrated into discs. It has an intense, sweet caramel-like flavour and is often used in fudge. Grate or chop before use. Store in an airtight container.

Coconut sugar – made from the sap harvested from coconut palm flowers. It’s then boiled up to evaporate the watery content. Unlike stevia, which I do not use, the taste is initially sweet and caramelly, then it becomes complex, slightly bitter only to finish pleasantly sweet.

Share Share on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
share on Tumblr
Tumblr
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Share on Facebook
Facebook

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like...

Blueberry & Apple Brazil Nut Crumble
Blueberries and apple is such a classic, and for good reason.
Read more
Chili con Carne with extras!
Time to chase away winter blues and spice things up!
Read more
Muscovado Grilled Pineapple & Pepper Salad
Bright, juicy, sweet and hot, with an intriguing hit of molasses, this is one helluva salad.
Read more

About this blog

Julie Biuso

Shared Kitchen is an ongoing collaboration between longtime New Zealand food personality Julie Biuso and upstart food blogger Ilaria Biuso.

Subscribe

Keep up to date with all the latest.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Essentials

  • 10 minutes with…
  • Tastings
  • Kitchen things we like
  • Reviews
  • Sites I like
  • Weights & measures
  • Copyright & disclaimer

Categories

  • Recently posted
  • Julie’s Blog
  • Ilaria’s Blog & Recipes
  • Special occasions
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
  • Wine & drinks

Posts by month

  • + 2022
    • May (46)
    • April (79)
    • March (116)
    • February (80)
    • January (9)
  • + 2021
    • December (13)
    • November (17)
    • October (13)
    • September (21)
    • August (12)
    • July (14)
    • June (13)
    • May (9)
    • April (10)
    • March (15)
    • February (11)
    • January (13)
  • + 2020
    • December (11)
    • November (16)
    • October (21)
    • September (19)
    • August (10)
    • July (7)
    • June (4)
    • May (4)
    • April (28)
    • March (15)
    • February (25)
    • January (13)
  • + 2019
    • December (18)
    • November (21)
    • October (18)
    • September (24)
    • August (27)
    • July (30)
    • June (19)
    • May (30)
    • April (38)
    • March (23)
    • February (24)
    • January (18)
  • + 2018
    • December (21)
    • November (25)
    • October (28)
    • September (23)
    • August (26)
    • July (27)
    • June (27)
    • May (25)
    • April (15)
    • March (20)
    • February (22)
    • January (19)
  • + 2017
    • December (13)
    • November (22)
    • October (23)
    • September (18)
    • August (25)
    • July (17)
    • June (22)
    • May (21)
    • April (19)
    • March (25)
    • February (19)
    • January (23)
  • + 2016
    • December (8)
    • November (17)
    • October (21)
    • September (22)
    • August (23)
    • July (13)
    • June (19)
    • May (22)
    • April (17)
    • March (21)
    • February (15)
    • January (15)
  • + 2015
    • December (20)
    • November (17)
    • October (10)
    • September (23)
    • August (16)
    • July (6)
    • June (13)
    • May (17)
    • April (8)
    • March (12)
    • February (8)
    • January (21)
  • + 2014
    • December (4)
    • November (2)
Shared Kitchen Online Shop

SHARED KITCHEN COOKBOOK

Buy our Shared Kitchen Cookbook

Get a signed copy by Julie & Ilaria Biuso

Julie & Ilaria Biuso Win BEST IN THE WORLD 2021 GOURMAND BOOK AWARDS

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch wins 2021 Gourmand Award

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch has won Best In The World in the Blogger category at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards announced in Paris this month.

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

PRESS COVERAGE

Print  Radio  Television

Shared Kitchen radio and print interviews

Shared Kitchen

Shared Kitchen
Julie Biuso
2020

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s kitchenette

© 2020 Please see our copyright page for conditions on use of content here

  • Home
  • About us
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Store
  • Categories
    • Special occasions
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Baking
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
    • Wine & drinks
    • Back
  • Essentials
    • 10 minutes with…
    • Kitchen things we like
    • Recently posted
    • Reviews
    • Tastings
    • Tips & tricks
    • Something for the weekend
    • Weights & measures
    • What’s at the farmers’ markets
    • Back