Using less sugar

Peter S. (Q&A ID 4350)

I prefer my sweets a little less sweet than others often do. I will frequently cut the amount of sugar by 1/2 or more in cakes and other baked goods. What other adjustments should I make? Note that I'm not asking about substitutes for table sugar but rather using less sweetener altogether.

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Hi Peter - Baked goods are successful due to the delicate balance of the ingredients a recipe developer has determined based on food science and testing. Sugar affects the texture and rise in baked goods and there's no hard-and-fast formula for baking with reduced sugar that will cover every single thing you bake. King Arthur has a good article on reducing sugar in recipes. As suggested in the article, you'll want to use a scale that measures in grams and adjust your recipes using baker's percentages, a formula professional bakers use to scale recipes in order to account for the sugar's impact on structure, moisture, and rise. Good luck! Best, Lynn C.

Peter S. (Q&A ID 4350)

Thanks Lynn, I'll check out the King Arthur article.