Better alternatives please?

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Rowann
Rowann Posts: 86
in Food and Nutrition
I've recently discovered the joys of baking, and even though I'm trying to lose weight I'm happy to bake biscuits and cakes for the whole family as at least that way I can control what goes in them. and I can have a small slice and still keep to within my calories.

My son is type I diabetic, so I'm already using Splenda in the biscuits I make for him, but last night I made a rhubarb cake that was great. The only problem was the calorie count. The biggest culprits in the ingredients list were:
1. Soft brown sugar
2. Butter
3. Self raising flour

I'd like to use better alternatives. I'm not adverse to artificial sweeteners (I know there are a lot of people on mfp who won't touch them, and that's their prerogative, but when you have a diabetic in the house you don't always have a vast amount of choice), but I'm not sure if there's one that will do the job of soft brown sugar.

To top things off nicely, I can't use anything nut based (so no ground almonds etc) has my husband can't have them.

Any help gratefully received... :)

Replies

  • racergirl1991
    racergirl1991 Posts: 422 Member
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    I've recently discovered the joys of baking, and even though I'm trying to lose weight I'm happy to bake biscuits and cakes for the whole family as at least that way I can control what goes in them. and I can have a small slice and still keep to within my calories.

    My son is type I diabetic, so I'm already using Splenda in the biscuits I make for him, but last night I made a rhubarb cake that was great. The only problem was the calorie count. The biggest culprits in the ingredients list were:
    1. Soft brown sugar
    2. Butter
    3. Self raising flour

    I'd like to use better alternatives. I'm not adverse to artificial sweeteners (I know there are a lot of people on mfp who won't touch them, and that's their prerogative, but when you have a diabetic in the house you don't always have a vast amount of choice), but I'm not sure if there's one that will do the job of soft brown sugar.

    To top things off nicely, I can't use anything nut based (so no ground almonds etc) has my husband can't have them.

    Any help gratefully received... :)

    I think there is a Spenda brown sugar now too...I remember seeing something like that. Good luck!
  • KLaurean
    KLaurean Posts: 112
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    I think people use applesauce in place of butter. I could be wrong though.
  • kje2011
    kje2011 Posts: 502 Member
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    Splenda brown sugar is available.
    applesauce instead of butter, or use little of applesauce and oil
    Whole wheat flour, or go half and half with self rising and wholewheat.
  • Xaspar
    Xaspar Posts: 726 Member
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    I don't know what the effect of molasses is on diabetes, but all white sugar is is sugar with the molasses removed. I have had to 'make' brown sugar by adding molasses to white sugar because I ran out and didn't have time to go to the store. Maybe adding some molasses with the splenda to recreate the flavor??
  • colortheplanet
    colortheplanet Posts: 13
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    Applesauce can sometimes be replaced for the butter, but I'm not saying it will work 100% in all recipes. I personally like the taste of them in muffins, but a lot of people don't because they taste too "healthy" aka not fatty enough and such. Give it a try though, perhaps don't tell them you changed the recipe and get their real reactions.
  • SugarDiva
    SugarDiva Posts: 403 Member
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    i use agave nectar instead of sugar in all my baking. It's super low on the glycemic index, totally natural and pure and WAY sweeter than sugar so you only have to use a quarter of what you use for sugar. Like other people have said, applesauce can me used in place of butter and oils, and I eliminate eggs by using 1 tbsp of flaxmeal +2 tbsp of water for every egg. :smile:
  • Rowann
    Rowann Posts: 86
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    Applesauce... just wanting to make sure I'm singing from the same hymn sheet as everyone else. Is applesauce what it sounds like to me, ie, effectively stewed apples that have probably been passed through a sieve? Or am I missing something?

    If it is, then that sounds awesome if it will work instead of butter... :)

    I haven't seen Splenda brown, but I'll keep an eye out for it. I've not long moved to New Zealand, so I'm still trying to discover what is available here, and what isn't (it's so different from London!).

    Flaxmeal is another one I haven't heard of before, but I'm willing to give it a try...and swapping half the flour for whole wheat flour make sense.

    Thankfully, both the husband and son are quite happy to try healthier alternative; I don't have to try and cover anything up... I'm lucky like that... :)

    Thanks everyone, it's all a big learning curve, but I'll get there one day.
  • Andwynn
    Andwynn Posts: 38 Member
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    Presumably flaxmeal is ground linseed, so you would get the added bonus of omega oils. (although I could be making that up, I've never seen flaxmeal)

    If you can't find splenda brown, would it work using your normal white splenda and then adding something syrupy such as date syrup or agave syrup? Obv the syrup wouldn't be low sugar, but with the splenda as well it would probably be lower overall.

    Baking's for experimenting, it's like chemistry without so many of the big bangs. :-)
  • Rowann
    Rowann Posts: 86
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    I ended up using half and half brown sugar and splenda (which on looking into splenda brown is what's in the packet anyway), and it worked quite well... texture is a little different from making the cake in the traditional manner, (which I assume is at least partially because of substituting the butter for apple sauce), but still nice.

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