If you are in the kitchen a lot then there is a good chance you know how to bake. Of course, it is a pleasurable activity that satisfies both your mind and body. However, the most significant perk of baking is the sweetness it can lavish on you, which makes it the perfect leisure activity for a self-professed sweet tooth!
Regardless of the recipe, it is essential that you know the appropriate sweeteners you are going to use. There are many different varieties of them. Hence, your options are limitless.
One of the common sweeteners that is used in baking is golden syrup. It is essential for many cakes and other pastries. Fortunately, it fairly easy to get hold of, especially in big stores. But if you are expecting a visitor and there is not enough time to drive to the nearest market, then you will need to know all of the possible golden syrup substitutes that are available. Once you know all the potential alternatives, you can get on with your baking without any delay. Therefore, you will never panic, even if you there is no golden syrup left on your kitchen racks!
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Golden Syrup Substitutes
What Is Golden Syrup?
Before I go through all of the alternatives, it is essential that you know what golden syrup is. After all, you can’t pick a replacement if you don’t know all about the taste and texture of this luscious liquid.
Some people confuse honey for golden syrup as they do look pretty similar and both taste sweet. So how do we distinguish between these two ingredients?
You should realize that golden syrup is made of sugar that is derived from sugarcane. You can also create it by treating a sugar solution with a food-safe and applicable acid. The latter will give a honey-like appearance to the syrup. On the other hand, honey is derived from the fluids that are present in beehives.
It is obvious that honey is one of the best substitutes you can use for golden syrup. Vegans would approve of this, as both of these ingredients suit their ethical food preferences. Their is a cost involved, however, as honey is more expensive than golden syrup.
You can use golden syrup as a substitute for sugar and other sweeteners as it provides a positive impact to your food. For example, it works well with both tutti frutti cakes and banana pancakes.
Golden Syrup Substitutes
Apart from having the right tools, such as a silicone mat, it is crucial that you have your ingredients ready. Here are the following options that can become viable replacements if you have no golden syrup:
1. Honey
One of the biggest reasons why honey and golden syrup are a perfect match is their interchangeability. You can use one ingredient if the other one is not present. As both of these ingredients are widely available in your nearby shops and markets, accessing them is not that difficult.
Honey is great as a topping for your desserts or a main ingredient for pastry recipes. If golden syrup is not available, then you can use honey as an alternative. Just use it in equal amounts.
The only downside to honey is its cost, as it is quite expensive compared to other sweeteners. However, this is compensated by its nutritional contents. Apart from baking, you can also use honey in other recipes.
2. Molasses
Molasses, which is also known as black treacle, is another excellent alternative to golden syrup that elevates the richness and appeal of any pastry or delicacy. It has the same sweetness and texture as golden syrup and honey, but you have to be wary of its color.
As you can see, molasses adds a dark coloration to the food. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but if you care about the appearance of the cakes you bake, then you will have to mitigate this effect by either adding a food coloring or lowering the amount of molasses you use. However, it can be beneficial to stumble upon the unexpected. You will definitely get a surprise if you try to experiment with different flavors, textures, and colors.
It is also important to note that molasses can produce a bitter taste. Although this taste is not really strong, its bitterness can still affect the overall sweetness of the food. Therefore, it is recommended that you lower the amount used to reduce the chances of eating a bitter cake!
3. Maple Syrup
A good substitute for syrup should, of course, be another syrup. As a result, you might want to opt for maple syrup as a replacement for golden syrup. Maple syrup has a high sugary composition, which makes it extremely sweet, and its texture is both moderate and consistent.
Maple syrup is pretty similar to golden syrup when it comes to its color. They both have a shining, crystal clear appearance that makes your mouth water. However, the stickiness and thickness of maple syrup are dissimilar to honey and golden syrup.
Do not expect maple syrup to have the exact same flavor as golden syrup, there is a difference, but it is not necessarily a bad one. You might even discover a brand new variation of your traditional recipes by using maple syrup!
There is a way of combining molasses and maple syrup to replicate the exact effect of golden syrup. For you to do this, you need to mix one part of molasses per every two parts of maple syrup. Alternatively, you could also mix up maple syrup and honey to achieve the same thickness and abundance of golden syrup. You can then make the mixture thicker by cooking it in a saucepan.
4. Corn Syrup
Corn syrup is an outstanding surrogate for golden syrup. In fact, many people prefer it to maple syrup. Corn syrup is not as sweet and thick as honey or maple syrup, so health conscious individuals like to use it. The sugar content of corn syrup is not that high. Hence, it is a great choice for those people who want to reduce their glucose level.
It is also a great way of reducing the sweetness of a recipe. You can sometimes have too much of a good thing, and that includes sweetness. So if you don’t want your delicacy to be excessively sweet, corn syrup is the route to go. Another variant is called high-fructose corn syrup that has better nutritional content than golden syrup.
Amusingly, you can also combine corn syrup with honey to get a well-balanced sweetener. Just combine the two ingredients in equal amount, and you will get something that can beat the competition! If a particular recipe requires you to use one tablespoon of golden syrup, just substitute it with one tablespoon of the said mixture. They are pretty much the same when it comes to taste and texture, so there is nothing to worry about here.
Conclusion
Golden syrup is an essential ingredient that is needed for various pastry recipes. Cakes, muffins, and pies all require it, so it is a practical move to stock up on this ingredient in your kitchen. But if you have failed to do so, then you will have to look for potential alternatives.
The three items that I have featured here are some of the best golden syrup substitutes that you can get. They work better than ordinary sweeteners because they all share the same characteristics of golden syrup. So if the original liquid is missing, any of these ingredients can come to your rescue. What’s more, they all make sure that baking is a lot of fun and a fruitful activity!
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