ISO help making cake with sub for white refined sugar

[pontypool]

I have cut out white refined sugar from my diet and have substituted honey, maple syrup and other ingredients.



I am planning to bake cakes using Stevia, but I believe the yeast requires sugar for the fermentation process.



Would maple syrup be a viable alternative, as it contains natural sugars?

 

[JustJoel]

I have cut out white refined sugar from my diet and have substituted honey, maple syrup and other ingredients.



I am planning to bake cakes using Stevia, but I believe the yeast requires sugar for the fermentation process.



Would maple syrup be a viable alternative, as it contains natural sugars?

Hello, welcome to DC!

Don’t cakes use baking powder or baking soda for leavening? I’m not much of a cake baker, but I don’t remember ever seeing a cake that uses yeast.

There are many bread recipes that contain no sugar at all. The easiest are the “no-knead” Dutch oven breads. They only contain flour, salt, yeast, and water. I usually add a tbsp of light brown sugar or honey, but that’s just for the taste.

 

[pontypool]

All I know is that the manual that comes with my breadmaker says that sugar is important for the fermentation process.



I am making a fruit loaf at the moment. It needs 1 tsp of fast action yeast.



Maybe baking soda is an. Alternative to yeast ? Idk

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi and welcome to Discuss Cooking [emoji2]

I have never heard of a cake recipe that involved fermentation. That process develops flavor and gluten for structure in breads, but cakes are supposed to be tender. They're usually baked right after mixing.

Replacing sugar with syrup or honey usually requires adjusting the liquid in the recipe, since both contain some water.

 

[Andy M.]

All I know is that the manual that comes with my breadmaker says that sugar is important for the fermentation process.



I am making a fruit loaf at the moment. It needs 1 tsp of fast action yeast.



Maybe baking soda is an. Alternative to yeast ? Idk

Any form of sugar will feed the yeast in a recipe. It also adds its flavor to the recipe so your choice requires some thought.

Yeast is common for breads but not for cakes. Cakes typically use baking soda or powder as leaveners.

Rather than try to change a recipe from yeast to baking soda/powder, choose a different recipe. There are many.

 

[JustJoel]

All I know is that the manual that comes with my breadmaker says that sugar is important for the fermentation process.



I am making a fruit loaf at the moment. It needs 1 tsp of fast action yeast.



Maybe baking soda is an. Alternative to yeast ? Idk

Here’s a link to an article that debunks 7 myths about bread making, and here’s the relevant paragraph:

myth 2: yeast needs sugar to activate and rise

Not true. Out of top 7 bread making myths, the sugar myth has a firm second place. Yeast does not need sugar to activate. There’s enough food in flour for the yeast to feed on.

Sugar is added primarily for taste when making sweet breads like hot cross buns, croissants or similar. Honey or other types of sweeteners can be used instead. Fruit loaves don’t even need sweetened dough at all, just lots of dried fruit.

Next time you make a bread, that teaspoon of sugar in the recipe can be skipped without any effect on yeast.

There are several other sources that maintain that flour has more than enough “food” for the yeast.

Hope this helps!

 

[taxlady]

I think a lot of people think bread needs sugar, because the recipes that call for proofing the yeast need sugar. You can't proof the yeast in plain water. You want some sugar in that water to give the yeast some food quickly, so you can tell if it's still good.

 

[pontypool]

I gather that yeast needing sugar is a myth, (the 2nd biggest actually)


So thanks for the information.





Btw I'm curious what the top/other myths are?

 

[pepperhead212]

Welcome to the forum!

There are a lot of sweet yeast breads out there. You would have to experiment to come up with a good recipe, but remember this - sugar in a bread recipe should be counted as a liquid. I'm not sure how stevia works when replacing sugar - I've never used stevia to replace the sugar, but I'm sure they have websites with help on that.
Bread can be made wirh just water, flour, salr, and yeast - no sugar is needed. Some say that no salt is needed, but if you have ever tried salt-free bread, I think you would agree that it is essential! Even in sweet breads, a little is needed.