The sugars sweeten food and give baked goods color and texture. It is the caramelizing of the sugar during the heating process that gives the baked goods an even golden color.

Brown sugar tends to make baked goods softer and chewier than regular white sugar. So if you are baking cookies and would like them to have a softer texture, replace some of the white sugar called for in the recipe with an equal amount of brown sugar.

Some artificial sweeteners can be used bake with. The drawback is many times either the sweetener loses some taste in the baking process or the heating process leaves a nasty aftertaste .

These are some artificial sweeteners and information on whether or not they can be used to bake with.

You can use artificial sweeteners when baking. You can substitute them for white sugar in recipes. Because these sweeteners tend to taste sweeter than regular sugar, of course you would use a smaller quantity of it than the amount of white sugar called for in the recipe.

Sucralose

This is the newest approved artificial sweetener. Is made from a process that starts with sugar. It is approximately 600 times sweeter than sugar. It is very stable and can be used in baking because it does not break down during the heating process.

Splenda is one of the most popular artificial sweeteners. The taste is not overly sweet, and it is similar to the taste of actual white sugar. It can be used in baking because it won't lose its flavor during the heating process. It also won't leave a bitter aftertaste in the baked goods. The one drawback many people experience with using Splenda is bloating, flatulence and diarrhea.

Acesulfame-K

This artificial sweetener is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar. It does not break down during the heating process and it is stable at normal temperatures. The drawback to this sweetener is that it does not produce as good a texture in baked goods as some of the other artificial sweeteners.

Aspartame

Aspartame is an approved artificial sweetener with a taste 200 times sweeter than sugar. Many people claim it to be one of the best sweeteners because it has no aftertaste. It is recommended that you do not use aspartame in baking because it breaks down during the heating process causing it to lose its taste.

Saccharin

This is one of the oldest artificial sweeteners on the market. It has been used since the early nineteen hundreds. It is approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar and very stable in foods. The drawback is it has a very bitter aftertaste. It is rarely if ever used in baking. saccharin is used mainly as a sugar substitute.

Sugar Twin

After a variety of testing it is noted that the artificial sweetener sugar twin won in taste tests when used to bake cakes, although when the same taste testers judged it in drinks, they didn't like the taste of it.

Artificial sweetener baking tips

Substituting artificial sweeteners for regular sugar in cake recipes tends to make the finished product tough and heavy.

This can be compensated for by adding an extra beaten egg white to the recipe to give it some oomph.

Adding an additional one or two tablespoons of sugar when beating eggs or egg whites before adding them to the cake batter, produces a more realistic cake texture.

You can also try substituting half of the sugar called for in the recipe with half Splenda but the cake might not taste as sweet as you would like.