Hi Everybody,

I have a customer who wants a carrot cake with buttercream frosting. Sh,e however, does not want me to use any white sugar........I don't have any recipes that don't have white sugar in some form. Does anyone out there have any suggestions?

Thanks!
Berta

I have a recipe for a brown sugar cream cheese frosting. Made it for the first time last weekend. Not really good for decorating but can do simple borders with it. The original recipe for the frosting goes with a spice cake and is intended just as a filler and some on the top so it does not make much but of course it can be doubled or tripled, however much you need.

If you are interested let me know. I guess I can just post it on here.

Hi Cyndi,

I am definitely interested. Does it stay on the cake good and is it easy to smooth? She doesn't want it decorated, just filled and smooth on the outside. Please post or PM it to me if you have the time.

Berta

I tried to PM you but could not get it to work. I kept getting an error message and then could not get to the CC home page. Had to come in the back door through email notification.

Anyway, here is the recipe. I will type it the way it is written on the card:

In small bowl, beat 1 pkg. (3oz.) soft cream cheese with 1/4 cup soft butter or margarine. (I used butter.) Beat in 2 Tbsp. milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar (I used dark brown), packed, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Gradually add 1 lb. powdered sugar, beating until of spreading consistency.


I doubled the recipe and had enough to frost a 2 layer nine inch cake. It was very good. As for smoothing, it did OK, but I was not really trying to get it smooth. I was thinking of trying it again with the intention of smoothing and decorating with it to see how it does. Maybe adding a little extra PS to make it thicker for borders etc. Let me know if you make it and how it goes.

By the way, this has to be refridgerated.

First of all, brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses added back in. 2nd, any recommendation I give you would depend on the reason she doesn't want white sugar. If somebody has diabetic needs, Splenda might be a good sub, but I don't know if it would grind fine enough. If she doesn't like processed foods, including sugar, then you may want to Google "icing" and whatever sweetener. I tried googling cane juice and didn't get any results, you can also use apple juice concentrate as a sweetener, but I've only seen recipes for glazes calling for that. Here is a recipe for maple syrup icing that I found, but I don't know how it would do for decorations. Seems like it might be kind of like an Italian Meringue BC. Don't know.

Can't think of any other reasons she wouldn't want white sugar (other than very strict vegan), but I would suggest asking her. Tell her that her reasons will help you find the best substitute, and report back.

Ali

Oops. Forgot the recipe.

FLUFFY MAPLE ICING
INGREDIENTS:

* 1 cup pure maple syrup
* 2 egg whites
* 1 pinch salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour maple syrup into a small saucepan. Heat to between 223 and 234 degrees F (106 to 112 degrees C), or until fine threads form when dripped from a spoon. If it reaches the temperature before your egg whites are ready, remove from heat, and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whip the egg whites with salt until they can hold a peak. Gradually drizzle in the hot syrup while continuing to whip until thick and fluffy.

Thanks for the recipe. I don't think I will be able to use it though.....she wants no white sugar granulated or powdered...she says it makes her get soars in her mouth. I don't know if Italian Meringue can be made with brown sugar instead of regular sugar.

Berta

Alimonkey,

I didnt see your post b4 I posted my last one. This lady told me no granulated or powdered white sugar because it made soars in her mouth. She only can eat brown sugar. I've never heard of anything like that before so........The maple icing sounds good, She wants it on a carrot cake.

Berta

Well, if you can use brown sugar, I would ask her if regular brown sugar is OK (which would be weird, because it essentially is white sugar), or if it needs to be unbleached (like turbinado sugar). Seems like you could make any boiled icing with brown sugar, you would probably just need to adjust your liquid slightly - and I wouldn't know how much - to account for the moisture in the molasses. Demerara and turbinado sugar - (one is sometimes marketed as "Sugar in the Raw") are both made by evaporating cane juice, and no chemicals are used in their processing. They are also dry, so with a boiled icing, you wouldn't have to worry about changing the amount of liquid.

If you can use regular brown sugar, great! But if you've gotta use the demerara or turbinado, make sure to charge accordingly, cuz they get pricey!

Also, if you make the maple one, please let me know how it turns out, for icing & for decorations. I may have to try it myself one day!

Ali

Alimonkey is so right about brown sugar just being plain refined white sugar with molasses added.

WE got a recipe conversion at school to use if we needed brown sugar and we don't have any.

It's very "CHIC" to serve something that you can be a snob and say..."OH, it's made with no sugar...blah blah blah..."

Um..doesn't your carrot cake call for some sugar? Sugar helps to keep the crumb moist..and most EVERYTHING has....SUGAR...and sugar in any other name is STILL sugar...any ingredient on a label ending with OSE is a sugar!

(and while I'm on my soap box...what's with EVERYTHING having SODIUM too??)

So..this brings me back to her statement...that she gets sore in her mouth when she eats sugar....Huh??

(Visions of Katie Holmes cold sores ...yuck..lol)

I agree with Alimonkey also...charge double, it's a specialty item...

and when ever anyone gets specific orders like this..or people refer to their food allergies....don't be afraid to ask, they probably know more about their dietary needs and probably can give you the recipes or send you to a web site that can help...

Happy baking!

I am going to call and double check this morning to be sure she will want to pay more and to verify about the brown sugar. The last thing I want is a customer with sores in her mouth saying she got them from my cakes....yikes. I should have just declined to do the cake.....when things get too complicated and I have to search for different recipes I am not accustomed to things are bound to take a turn for the worse. The more I thought about it last night, the more I regret telling her I would do it. Do you guys think it would be awful to call her and tell her I better decline to do the cake since I am not really equipped to work around her dietary needs?

Berta

I am going to call her today and see what the "real" deal is with the allergy or whatever. I'll post her response later.

Thank you guys for being so helpful and supportive.

Berta

Hi,

I talked to the lady again. She said she cannot have white sugar because it gives her mouth soars....she said once she ate a big piece of cake and the next day she had the soars (coincidence probably). She said brown sugar was ok. I told her it was white sugar also just had molasses added, and I don't think she believed me. She also now wants everything all organic and no bleached flour....this means I will have to go out and buy all these products and then be stuck with the left overs that I don't use. I think it would be better if I backed out. What are your opinions?

Berta

Berta..

Back out if you don't feel it. Now she's making more demands and...


There is no 'medical' reason why she's refusing white sugar, if she was aware of her "stuff" she would KNOW that brown sugar is just white sugar with molasses!

She's self diagnosed...which means ( to me..) super picky.

If you still want to do the cake...have her bring all the ingredients. Just tell her that that's the only way the price stays the same.

Thanks for your advice. Honestly I'm afraid she will eat my cake, get a pimple or something the next day and tell people it was all due to my cake. I think I will just back out and tell her I just am not accustomed to varying my style so much. Thanks for listening and giving me advice. I truly appreciate it!

Berta

Tell her to go see a Doctor and have someone else do the cake. You dont need the hassle, liability or bad press is this wack job gets a sore!!