Produced from sugar cane, cane sugar is an essential product in the kitchen today. This sugar is also considered good for health and has interesting properties. But what is this sugar hiding? What are its benefits? What are the different types? Let’s take a closer look at this famous cane sugar.
The Nutritional Properties Of Cane Sugar
In 100 g of this sugar, there are 100 g of carbohydrates. This sugar also contains many trace elements, minerals, and vitamins:
- manganese
- copper
- zinc
- fluorine
- calcium
- dietary fiber
- vitamin C
- vitamin A
Cane Sugar: Calories
In 100 grams of cane sugar, there are 400 calories.
Cane Sugar: Health Benefits
This sugar comes from sugar cane, a plant with interesting health benefits. Indeed, sugar cane would help relieve sore throats, flu, and colds. It would also bring muscle energy and help increase athletes’ capacities and performances. It is also ideal for digestion.
The Dangers Of Cane Sugar Consumption On Health
Like all sugars, cane sugar has health hazards. Indeed, it increases blood sugar levels, promotes the onset of heart disease, and increases the risk of diabetes.
The Manufacture Of Cane Sugar
To make this sugar, here are the steps:
- Harvesting sugar cane.
- Grinding of harvested sugar cane to extract the juice.
- The juice is heated to several temperatures. The water is thus evaporated, and the syrup is obtained.
- The syrup is heated and becomes a pasty mass containing sugar crystals.
- This mass is kneaded and passed through a centrifuge to separate the sugar crystals from the syrup.
- The syrup is terminated twice, and the crystals dry.
- The Crystals Are Bagged
What Are The Different Types Of Cane Sugar?
This sugar is available in different forms. Here is an overview of these.
Whole Cane Sugar
Unrefined, this sugar is brown, has a vanilla flavor, and significant sweetening power. It contains vitamins and many minerals.
White Sugar
Refined, this sugar has a neutral flavor and is ideal for sweetening recipes without changing the taste.
Red
Also known as brown sugar, brown cane sugar has a distinctive color and vanilla flavor. This sugar is often used to caramelize preparations.
Brown
This sugar is dark because it contains more molasses than white sugar. It has a pronounced flavor reminiscent of licorice and is used more to sweeten cakes. This sugar does not alter the taste of the recipes, but it’s sweetening power is significant.
Blond
This sugar is refined and has a vanilla flavor. It can be incorporated into recipes and on top to give them a crunchy touch. Blond sugar has the same sweetening power as classic white sugar.
Liquid
Liquid cane sugar or cane syrup is the star ingredient in cocktails. Its liquid aspect is ideal for giving its drinks a sweet taste and a homogeneous mixture. But how is this liquid sugar obtained? Once the sugar cane is harvested, the juice is extracted and heated to a high temperature. This makes it possible to obtain syrup.
With Molasses
As explained before, brown sugar is this color because it contains more molasses. This sugar has a strong sweetening power, and its taste is reminiscent of licorice.
In Powder
This powdered sugar is widely used.
Replace Cane Sugar With Brown Sugar
This is possible to replace the cane sugar with brown sugar. Brown sugar is brown sugar which is 95% sugar and 5% molasses. With brown sugar, you can caramelize preparations and sublimate cakes like crumbles.
Cane Sugar VS Beet Sugar
From a health point of view, this first one is no better than beet sugar. These two sugars contain sucrose; concerning the calories, these two sugars are equal (4 kcal for one gram). But how do you tell the difference between beet and cane sugar? Simply by looking at their color: the cane one is brown.
Cane Sugar VS Stevia
Stevia has a strong sweetening power; compared to cane sugar, this power is 200 times higher . In addition to this feature, it is also very good for the line since it provides almost no calories. As part of a diet, stevia is a good alternative. Cane sugar ranks first among sweeteners. Very popular, it can be used in many recipes.
Cane Sugar Vs. Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is a sustainable sugar rich in antioxidants and nutrients. This sugar resembles brown sugar, and its taste is similar to brown sugar. Coconut sugar can be used in different ways: in baking or to sweeten drinks. C Cane sugar is rich in minerals, nutrients, and trace elements. Therefore, choosing between the two is up to you since these sugars can be used in many ways.
Cane sugar VS refined sugar
Choosing between these two sugars is more a question of taste: refined sugar brings notes of caramel once in the mouth, and cane touches of vanilla.
Receipts
Here are a few recipes that we suggest you attempt.
- Cherry muffins
- For these cakes, the ingredients to gather are:
- 24 candied cherries.
- 120g of butter.
- 120 g cane sugar.
- 220g of flour.
- 50 g of bitter cocoa.
- 2 eggs.
- 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- 18 cl of milk.
- Salt.
Preparation
First, preheat your oven to 190°C, then on a baking sheet, lay parchment paper.
- Work the flour, baking powder, cocoa, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
- Make a well and add the eggs, milk, and melted butter.
- Mix until you get a homogeneous texture, and pour this preparation into your muffin molds (do not fill them to the top).
- Place four cherries in each muffin and bake for 15 minutes.
Pineapple Carpaccio
The ingredients used in this recipe are:
- 1 pineapple.
- 1 lime.
- 6 cl cane sugar syrup.
- 1 vanilla pod.
- 1 tablespoon of white rum.
- Brown sugar.
Preparation
- Cut the ends off the pineapple and peel it.
- Then cut it into thin slices with a knife or a mandolin if you have one.
- Arrange these slices on a dish and grate the lemon to recover its zest. Squeeze it and reserve its juice, then mix it with the zest.
- Cut the vanilla pod in half and scrape its pulp before adding it to the lemon juice.
- Mix this juice, the cane sugar syrup, and the white rum in a container.
- Brush plates with this mixture and place pineapple slices on top.
- Brush these slices with this juice.
- Sprinkle your pineapples with brown sugar and chill for 1 hour.
Caramel With Cane Sugar
To make this caramel, the ingredients are:
- 130 g blond cane sugar.
- 20g of butter.
- 160 g golden syrup ( light molasses ).
- 28 cl of fresh cream.
Preparation
- Take a heavy-bottomed saucepan and pour in the golden syrup and sugar.
- As soon as an amber color appears, add the cream, lower the heat, and mix again (if the sugar solidifies, this is normal; it will become fluid afterward).
- As soon as your preparation is homogeneous, turn off the heat and add the butter (you can also add milk or dark chocolate (60 g).
- Mix again and let cool to room temperature.
To Know More
The editorial staff of Toutvert also advises you:
- What is the number of sugars in…?
- The different solutions to replace white sugar.
- Agave syrup: ideal for replacing sugar?
- Everything you need to know about the Montignac diet.
- How to regrow a pineapple
- Aspartame: good or bad?
- Maple syrup, a Canadian alternative