What are the differences between white sugar, caster sugar, marshmallow, icing sugar, and powdered sugar and what impact do they have on baked goods?

Sugar is an essential ingredient in baking, but there are many types of sugar in baking. In addition to the granulated sugar and fine granulated sugar that everyone is familiar with, there are many types, such as the soft white sugar, icing sugar, and powdered sugar mentioned in the title.

These various sugars have certain differences in appearance. In the actual production process, they can be substituted for each other in some cases, but in some cases or products, a certain sugar must be used. One kind of sugar that no other can replace.

Now let me talk to you about these "candies" respectively. What exactly is the difference between them? And what kind of “sugar” is needed in those baked products? White sugar

White sugar is the most common sugar. It is a white crystal whose main component is sucrose. According to the particle thickness, it can also be divided into coarse sugar, fine sugar and caster sugar. etc.

The most commonly used sugar in baking is fine sugar. Because its particles are relatively small, it is easy to stir and melt during the production process. Fine sugar is used in many baking products, such as the familiar chiffon cakes, sponge cakes, etc. In addition to making the cake "sweet", fine sugar also acts as a stabilizer, making the whipped cake Egg whites or whole egg liquids are not easy to defoam. It also has a moisturizing effect, allowing the cake to maintain a moist texture during baking.

The meringue obtained by beating egg whites with fine sugar:

The use of coarse sugar is not as common as fine sugar because its particles are a bit thick and are not easy to melt during the whipping process. The formation of spots on the surface of the cake will also hinder the foaming of the egg whites to a certain extent. Therefore, coarse sugar is often used on the surface of some biscuits or pastries as a decoration or to enhance the taste. Soft white sugar

Compared with fine granulated sugar, soft white sugar has finer and softer particles. In addition to sucrose, it also contains about 2.5% invert sugar, so the sweetness is higher than that of fine granulated sugar. The humidity is higher than that of fine sugar.

In baking, apart from the role of invert sugar in moisturizing and coloring, there is nothing special about soft white sugar, and the price of soft white sugar is higher than that of fine sugar. Some, so soft white sugar is rarely used in baking. However, if you don’t have granulated sugar and only have soft white sugar on hand, you can substitute it in equal amounts. Frosting sugar and powdered sugar

Let’s talk about these two kinds of “sugar” together. In fact, icing sugar and powdered sugar can refer to the same concept: that is white sugar ground into fine powder.

There are two ways to make powdered sugar: one is to directly grind white sugar into powder, and the other is to make white sugar into a high-concentration solution, spray it under vacuum, and dry it. However, no matter which way the sugar powder is made, it is more susceptible to moisture, so commercially available sugar powder often adds a portion of cornstarch to prevent moisture and caking.

Powdered sugar must be added when making cookies during baking. The reason is that the coarser the sugar particles, the more malleable the butter will be. This is why fine sugar cannot be used to make cookies. The reason is that when the butter becomes more malleable, the cookie dough will "spread into a ball" in the oven and the patterns will disappear. Cookies made with powdered sugar have clear patterns.

However, although icing sugar and powdered sugar can refer to "powdered sugar" at the same time, icing sugar does not only refer to powdered sugar, it also has another meaning, which is often used in Western pastries. A decoration called icing.

Baking friends should have heard or come into contact with frosted biscuits more or less, and they must be amazed by the exquisiteness of frosted biscuits. The layer of material used to draw patterns on the frosted biscuits is also called " "Icing" is made by whipping sugar powder, protein powder, and water (or egg white) in a certain proportion. By adjusting its softness and hardness, you can decorate, pave, or draw various patterns.

What should be noted here is that the fineness and uniformity of the sugar powder needed to make frosted biscuits are required. It is not recommended that you grind the sugar powder yourself. The minimum requirement is to use Taikoo Red Label ( The blue label is a little cheaper than the red label, but the fineness is slightly worse). For better ones, you can choose CH.

Powdered sugar is also a kind of moisture-proof powdered sugar, which is mostly used for surface decoration of cakes, mousse, biscuits, etc.: some other sugars in baking

In addition to the ones mentioned in the article Sugar, and some sugars are also common, such as starch syrup, maltose, invert sugar, glucose, brown sugar, honey, etc. Can you tell the difference between these sugars? Now let me briefly tell you about the scenarios in which these sugars are used! Maltose and maltose have different production processes and have certain differences in color. They are often used when making nougat and toffee. Choosing colorless maltose can handle most productions. Invert sugar is commonly used in Cantonese-style mooncakes, saqima, some French dessert mousses, and ganache. If not available, substitute honey. Glucose is most commonly used in the glaze of French mousse, French hard candies, and soft candies. It has good moisturizing and water-locking properties, and plays an irreplaceable role in maintaining the gloss of French sweet glaze. There are also some "sugar substitutes", such as xylitol, which is not actually a real sugar, it just has a sweet taste. If you don't have special requirements (such as diabetics), try not to choose it because it is made as a sugar substitute. The taste and appearance of desserts are very different from those made with real sugar. Summary

The most commonly used sugar in baking is fine sugar, which is sucrose crystals with relatively small particles. It is widely used in various cakes, biscuits, mousse, bread, etc. Unless otherwise specified, the sugar in these dessert recipes is all fine sugar. Soft white sugar can be substituted with fine granulated sugar in equal amounts, and there won’t be much difference in the finished product.