Substitute Jam for Sugar in Baking and 5 More Options

It’s no secret that sugar is unhealthy. It causes so many health risks that experts refer to it as the “white death.” Fortunately, you can prepare delectable cakes and sweets without using sugar.

When you use jam instead of sugar in baking, your baked items may have a collapsed texture and a light tint. They will, however, be lot healthier. If you don’t like jam, you may replace it with dates, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, monk fruit crystals, and stevia.

In this essay, I’ll go over the dangers of sugar, why jam is healthier, and what each of the preceding options has to offer. Let’s get started!

Why Sugar Is Bad for You

Before we go into how to substitute sugar in baking, let’s take a look at how sugar might harm you in the long term.

It Dulls the Mental Capacity

Researchers discovered that excessive blood sugar levels may promote brain inflammation. Because this inflammation often affects the memory areas, you may notice that you are unable to recall information as clearly as previously.

To make things worse, this inflammation may also affect other sections of the brain, causing poor thinking, hand tremors, visual issues, and other symptoms. These problems may take some time to develop, but they are quite likely if you consume a lot of sugar.

On the good side, research have shown that these alterations are not permanent. Most of the harm may be reversed by sticking to a low-sugar, low-glycemic diet.

It Increases the Risk of Heart Disease

Everyone knows that consuming too much sugar may lead to obesity, but many people are unaware that it also increases the risk of heart disease.

How? As your body becomes larger, your heart must work harder to provide blood to every cell in your body. This additional force causes your blood vessels to tighten, raising your blood pressure.

As your heart works much harder than normal, you will become more prone to heart attacks, irregular heart rhythm, and even heart failure.

It Spikes Up Your Cravings

Sugar is incredibly addicting, even if you aren’t aware of it. Your brain will unconsciously instruct you to consume more dessert, soda, sweetened coffee, and so on as you eat more of it. Such desires would make it difficult for you to maintain a healthy weight.

It Depletes Your Energy

I understand what you’re thinking. Sugar is known for increasing the energy levels of young children. If you give them some ice cream, they will absolutely bounce off the walls!

The disadvantage of the energy surge is that it does not stay long. When it wears off, you’ll feel fatigued and cranky, which will cause you to need more sweets.

[Related Article: 10 Best Baking Storage Containers and Buying Guide]

Why Jam Is Healthier Than Sugar?

Now that I’ve discussed why sugar is bad for your health, let’s look at why jam is the best option.

It May Contain Less Sugar

Technically, most store-bought jams will include harmful quantities of sugar, owing to the fact that sugar is required for the final consistency.

To make it healthy, you may create your own sugar-free jam at home.

It Improves Your Gut Health

Any jam, whether store-bought or homemade, must include pectin, a fiber that is primarily used to thicken the consistency.

When pectin enters your stomach, it feeds the beneficial bacteria that exist there. I know bacteria isn’t normally associated with friendliness, but this bacterium aids digestion, protects against chronic illnesses, and boosts immunity.

[Related Article: What Is a Good Chocolate Syrup Substitute?]

5 Healthy Sugar Alternatives for Baking

Don’t worry if you don’t have time to prepare your own sugar-free jam. You may still avoid the negative effects of sugar by using one of the natural sweeteners listed below.

Dates

I like using dates since they have a distinct caramel flavor. They may also improve your general health and protect your organs from chronic damage since they are high in nutritious ingredients.

Not to mention that dates have a very high fiber content, which should be ideal if you have bowel movement issues.

How to Use Dates in Baking

3 cup date sugar. Don’t exceed this amount since dates are high in fructose (the natural form of sugar).Replace one cup of table sugar with two cups of honey.

In your blender, combine 4 cup of water. Make sure to thoroughly pulse the mixture until it reaches a smooth consistency.To make date sugar, purée 810 deseeded dates with 1 cup water.

If you want powder, dry your deseeded dates in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for around 10 minutes. Then, in a food processor, pulse the dates. To eliminate the big particles, filter the processed powder.

If you don’t want to waste anything, you may put these granules back into the processor.

When you’re satisfied with the consistency, keep the powder in an airtight container in a cold, shady location. It will keep for approximately 2 months, so don’t make a huge batch at once.

Maple Syrup

You’ve undoubtedly heard hundreds of dietitians shouting at the top of their lungs about maple syrup’s detrimental consequences.

If we’re talking about table or pancake syrup, then absolutely, you should avoid it since it’s highly processed.

On the contrary, 100% pure maple syrup is produced straight from the sap of the maple tree, making it one of the greatest unadulterated sweeteners. Choose the darkest substance you can find; a greater amount of beneficial antioxidants is associated with a darker tint.

Even better, the identical product is also available in powder crystal form.

How to Use Maple Syrup in Baking

4 cup maple syrup.Replace one cup of sugar with three.

Keep in mind that using maple syrup in baking will make the cakes and cookies moister than normal. As a result, decrease all liquids stated in your recipes by 24 tablespoons.

Also, maple has a tendency to accelerate the browning of baked items, so reduce the oven temperature by at least 25F.

How to Use Maple Crystals in Baking

4 cup maple crystals.Replace one cup of sugar with three.

I prefer crystals over syrup since I don’t want to change the quantity of liquid or the temperature settings. Furthermore, these crystals provide an intriguing texture to baked goods, particularly cookies and bread.

Coconut Sugar (aka Coconut Palm Sugar)

Coconut sugar, contrary to its name, does not taste like coconuts! When baked, it takes on a toasted, molasses taste. It also gives your baked items a deeper, more sinister appearance, so it may not be a smart choice if you’re worried about appearances.

However, in terms of health benefits, coconut sugar outperforms every other natural sweetener. For one thing, it contains inulin, a kind of fiber that improves digestive health, promotes weight reduction, and reduces constipation.

Furthermore, coconut sugar contains proteins, fatty acids, iron, potassium, and zinc.

How to Use Coconut Sugar in Baking

Each cup of raw sugar should be replaced with 1 cup of coconut sugar.

For the most part, you wouldn’t have to change your recipe. If you wish to reduce the ugly effects of coconut sugar, consider lowering the oven temperature.

Monk Fruit Crystals

The monk fruit is a tiny gourd that resembles melons in appearance. It was utilized by the ancient Chinese to treat colds and stomach issues.

Several manufacturers now ferment the fruits pulp to generate monk fruit crystals. Because this method eliminates virtually all of the sugar, it is the greatest sweetener for diabetics.

But how can it be sweet if all the sugar has been removed? This is due to the presence of mogrosides, an antioxidant that is 200 times sweeter than table sugar. Talk about decadent baked treats!

How to Use Monk Fruit Crystals in Baking

2 cup monk fruit extract. A larger quantity will result in too sweet meals.1 cup of brown sugar for every cup of table sugar

Stevia

Stevia is well-known in weight-loss programs due to its low calorie content. Diabetic people utilize it as well since it lowers insulin and blood sugar levels. It is offered commercially in three forms: liquid, powder, and dried leaves, although the powder form is the most practical.

Stevia, like monk fruit, is roughly 200 times sweeter than table sugar. As a result, substitute 1 teaspoon of stevia for every cup of table sugar.

Personally, I dislike stevia since it doesn’t provide texture to baked items.

You may enhance the texture of your cakes by adding baking powder to the recipe. You may also try some fruit purees to increase moisture.

Why You Should Never Bake With Honey

Because honey is one of the finest natural superfoods, many people utilize it as a sugar substitute. And, although it does enhance the flavor of food, it should never be used in baking.

Why? To make things simpler, natural honey includes a chemical called 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, but let’s just call it HMF.

HMF is not dangerous at room temperature. In fact, it is responsible for many of honey’s health advantages.

However, when this material is heated, it transforms into a hazardous toxin that your body cannot expel. As this material accumulates in your body, it may increase your chance of getting cancer.

[Related Article: Can I Substitute Honey for Maple Syrup?]

What Happens When You Bake Without Sugar

Despite my efforts to reduce my sugar consumption, I must admit that I miss it in my recipes.

But I don’t miss the sweetness. As I have shown, certain sweeteners are much more delicious than ordinary sugar. Instead, I want three things: texture, color, and wetness.

• Texture: Because air bubbles adhere to the rough edges of sugar crystals, your cakes will rise and become lighter. Cakes without sugar may sink in the centre.
• Color: When sugar is heated, it transforms into a darker caramel, making your baked items seem more appealing. Natural sweeteners (excluding coconut sugar) have a pale appearance.
• Sugar causes the proteins to create weaker connections, resulting in a delicate, mushy crumb.

Final Thoughts

It may be difficult to replace sugar in baking, particularly since it is necessary for the development of texture, color, and moisture. These sacrifices, however, will pay off in the end.

Never bake with honey since the heat will contaminate its constituents. Without honey, you may use dates, pure maple syrup, coconut sugar, monk fruit crystals, and stevia.

Have fun baking!