Have you tried baking with coconut palm sugar?

[pattyk]

I've recently started using this in my coffee, and I find I need much less of it as it's quite sweet. It also seems quite caramelly, and I wondered if it might make a good substitute for dark sugars like muscovado in a chocolate or coffee flavoured cake.

Can anyone with any experience of this tell me if it's worth substituting? How is flavour affected by the substitution?

 

[DancingLady]

I haven't used coconut sugar, but I have used coconut oil quite a lot, with very good results. It depends on how much coconut flavor is in the sugar as to how it will affect the outcome of the cake. Coconut oil has a very distinct taste, so it does affect the flavor of anything made with it. If you like coconut that is a good thing, if you don't, it would be hard to enjoy.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I don't use the product at all. I have yet to be convinced about the sustainability of the market or the supposed benefits of the coconut palm sugar (which is not the same as palm sugar or jaggery).

The description of it being quite sweet and caramelly can be applied equally to all brown and dark brown sugars, including molasses and treacles. I can't really see how substituting out for muscovado sugar in cake would make much difference unless you are using muscovado in your coffee as a comparison.

I found a number of articles online regarding coconut palm sugar all of which alarmed me to be honest. It seems that coconut palm trees can only produce one or the other ( sap for the sugar production or coconut fruit) and various articles suggest that one the tree is taken over to producing coconut palm sugar or more accurately being tapped for sap, it can not recover enough to ever have a viable coconut fruit production again so products such as coconut fruit, coconut oil and even just straight forward coconut fibre which is widely used will become considerably more limited in supply causing locals far more harm than benefit (as always).

www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_palm_sugar.htm one such article which I read completely including the update. It has more substance than some of the other articles but most doubt the apparent health benefits of this sugar and all question it's sustainability.

 

[DIna00]

I would be interested to know how it substitutes for real sugar too. I have a bag and haven't used it, I tasted it and I thought it had a sort of sour aftertaste. So I was worried to ruin any recipes with it.

I do cook with coconut oil a lot and I love it, it rarely burns and I personally don't think it has any particular taste, nor is it "oily".

Coconut flour I have used sparingly, I feel it does have a coconut-y taste. I have tried it as a thickener and it really tasted odd as compared to regular flour.

 

[pattyk]

I don't use the product at all. I have yet to be convinced about the sustainability of the market or the supposed benefits of the coconut palm sugar (which is not the same as palm sugar or jaggery).

The description of it being quite sweet and caramelly can be applied equally to all brown and dark brown sugars, including molasses and treacles. I can't really see how substituting out for muscovado sugar in cake would make much difference unless you are using muscovado in your coffee as a comparison.

I found a number of articles online regarding coconut palm sugar all of which alarmed me to be honest. It seems that coconut palm trees can only produce one or the other ( sap for the sugar production or coconut fruit) and various articles suggest that one the tree is taken over to producing coconut palm sugar or more accurately being tapped for sap, it can not recover enough to ever have a viable coconut fruit production again so products such as coconut fruit, coconut oil and even just straight forward coconut fibre which is widely used will become considerably more limited in supply causing locals far more harm than benefit (as always).

www.tropicaltraditions.com/coconut_palm_sugar.htm one such article which I read completely including the update. It has more substance than some of the other articles but most doubt the apparent health benefits of this sugar and all question it's sustainability.

Oh my goodness.....I am alarmed to hear about the production of this sugar. I'm completely turned off by using this now, and I will have to rethink the situation as I was led to believe I was making a better choice in using this in some of my baking.

I do find it much more caramelly than other brown sugars, and its texture is quite different too - maybe it has something to do with the brands we are comparing? I've also read reviews and articles to the same effect.

That said, I am not willing to experiment with it, or purchase it again after hearing so much negativity about it.

Thank you for your input anyway.

 

[elles-belles]

I have heard of the product and have been contemplating using it sometime for my baking but I honestly wanted to research a bit more on it and possibly hear what the members of this forum who have experiences with it would say. I don't think that I would use it in my coffee though.