Hi

I have a vegan sponge recipe that I've been using to make cupcakes with good results. I've turned it into chocolate, coconut, lemon versions etc and not had any problems. However, last night I thought I'd try a maple version. I kept the sugar the same and subsituted half the milk for maple syrup. When I went to check on the cupcakes I was horrified to see they were bubbling and looking very crazy. By the time I took them out they'd sunk so badly and spilled over the liners, resembling Yorkshire puddings rather than cupcakes!

I did wonder whether adding a syrup on top of the sugar would result in the sponge tasting too sweet, but didn't know how much sugar to swap out and I was worried that if I took out some sugar, I wouldn't have enough batter to go round. I had no idea that just 3 tbsp maple syrup instead of 3 tbsp soy milk would cause such chaos!

I'm reluctant to have to start using a completely different recipe just for one flavour variation, so I'd be very interested to hear from anyone who's made a successful maple version of their normal recipe. (PS I'm in the UK, so we don't have maple extract or maple sugar, just the syrup.)

Many thanks!

I haven't tried maple, but I think since the syrup is basically completely sugar, you should have cut that back and left the milk. Without seeing the whole recipe, I can't tell you how much I'd recommend to cut though...

I use Agave Nectar in recipes, and agave and maple syrup are of a very similar consistency. Try the tips on this site for substituting agave for sugar, but use maple syrup instead.

I hope you are using pure maple syrup, the fake stuff is all together different.

http://www.allaboutagave.com/substituting-agave-nectar-for-other-sugars.php

Good Luck let us know how it works.

I agree with the last post. Maple syrup is a form of sugar as well as a flavour. The real stuff is maple sap boiled down to get as much water out as possible and leave just sap/sugar. Find a recipe that can substitue a liquid sugar like corn syrup/treacle for maple syrup/. It's really sweet stuff so you might want to consider that as well. Be sure that it's not a mix of real maple syrup and fake stuff as well. Have you thought of using the maple syrup brushed on cakes after they are cooked for flavour?

Well, I tried again and had success! This time I left out all the sugar (1 cup), replaced it with 3/4 cup maple syrup (the real stuff!) and cut down on the milk by 2 tbsp. The sponge rose just fine and tasted good, although the maple flavour was only very subtle. I did mean to brush the cakes with syrup when they came out of the oven but forgot all about it, so I brushed a little on when I came to add the frosting and the cakes were enjoyed.

Thanks for your help.

Hooray for our successes. I'm very happy for you. Be sure to write it down so it will be great every time.

Have a Great Day!