Making a cake less sweet

[whatsup1]

I have a cake recipe that calls for these ingredients. I would like to make it less sweet but when I just use less sugar, it comes out very dry. Can someone help me make it less sweet but retain its moisture?

2 1/4 cups flour

3 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

4 eggs, beaten

[Swisskaese]

I usually reduce the sugar by half in all of my American recipes. 3 cups of sugar is outrageous.

It has never affected the moistness in the cakes I have made.

But, the professionals may have another opinion.

[scott123]

How much sugar are you attempting to lose?

I think you could lose a cup of sugar and still have a moist cake. Just bake it for a shorter time.

[lou_31]

I wonder if using some ground almonds (almond meal), perhaps instead of some of the flour, would help. I think the problem is that the sugar holds on to a lot of moisture. The nuts will also hold on to some moisture, but will provide oils as well. I suggest it partly because the recipe already includes almond extract.

Might change the texture though - anyone more expert in this want to comment?

[kaneel]

I usually reduce the sugar by half in all of my American recipes. 3 cups of sugar is outrageous.

It has never affected the moistness in the cakes I have made.

But, the professionals may have another opinion.

←

I do the same without any problem.

Like scott123 says try baking it for less time because from my experience any cake that called for oil is a moist cake.

edited to add more info.

Edited January 16, 2006 by kaneel (log)

[whatsup1]

Thanks for all your replies.

I have tried cutting the sugar in half. As I said, the cake is dry. Baking it for less time has merely yielded me an underbaked cake.

I am thinking that the amounts for other ingredients need to be adjusted, as I have heard that cakes require somewhat precise formulations. I haven't hit on anything that works as well as the texture of the cake as written.

[Ling]

Even if you halve the sugar in the recipe, the proportions are not out of line with what I've seen and used. What temperature are you baking the cakes at?

[Swisskaese]

What type of cake are you trying to bake? Maybe we could suggest something else.

[scott123]

Even if you halve the sugar in the recipe, the proportions are not out of line with what I've seen and used.

←

Same here.

I'm guessing that with the 3 C. of sugar this is an incredibly moist cake but with 1 1/2 it's probably dry in comparison.

Sugar's humectant properties are almost impossible to recreate with common ingredients. Tweaking the eggs, the oil, the flour- none of those will compensate texturally for the missing sugar. It'll take some trial and error, but with the correct baking temp/time, you should be able to achieve somewhat similar results. If you want to guarantee an incredibly moist cake, then I'd turn to specialty ingredients such as polydextrose or inulin. Polyd/inulin give you the texture of sugar without the sweetness.

[Sugarella]

I think you could easily lose up to 1 1/2 cups sugar from this, based on the amount of flour it calls for. But remember that the sugar helps retain moisture while baking so I'd suggest one of 2 things...... either add about 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (you won't really taste apple after it's baked) or try omitting an egg white or 2. I've never tried this exact recipe but it looks pretty similar to many I have done, and I agree with everyone else that 3 cups sugar to that amount of flour is way too much.

Bake at 325......

....edited to add that I notice there's no baking powder in this....I'd suggest 1/2 tsp.

Edited January 17, 2006 by Sugarella (log)

[cakelover]

I don't know what cake you are trying to make, but it looks like a sponge cake with extra ingredients. If you are trying to make a regular sponge cake, I have a great recipe:

 

150 gr selfraising flour

3 eggs

150 gr caster sugar

150 gr butter

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

 

mix everything together and bake at 170 degrees Celcius for about 30 to 40 minutes. Than you can slice it in half and put some jelly and whipped cream mixed with some lemon juice between. Than you can decorate it whatever you want.

 

Because of the lemon uice, it will notbe too sweet, just fresh. If you want to make it even less sweeter, add some fresh fruit too. Not canned fruit, but really fresh fruit. This recipe works for me very well, and nobody that tasted it has ever complaned about sweetness.

 

Good luck!