Baking Ingredient Ratios

[Earthmaiden]

I know we've discussed this before but can't find an appropriate thread.

I made bog standard all in one method sponge cake today with equal measures of fat, flour and sugar plus egg.

Like many, I find that amount of sugar rather sweet nowadays and wonder by how much it can be reduced before the cake turns into something else. I've a feeling that sugar can almost be omitted completely without strange results. I'm not looking for alternative sweetening ideas, just how much the standard recipe can be tweaked.

[Suelle]

My gut feeling was you can reduce sugar by up to 25% without affecting the recipe too much, but I've only done that with the brownie recipe I use. Google seems to back that up, although the range given by various sites is 10 - 33%.

Having said that, I wouldn't reduce the sugar that much in a basic sponge recipe, where it's simplicity means that every ingredient plays a major part. Maybe try 15% and if that doesn't alter the cake structure but is still too sweet, then try 20 or 25%.

[Earthmaiden]

Thank you Suelle. I was thinking along similar lines of starting gradually in case it affected the recipe.

I'll experiment. I don't often make big cakes nowadays but sometimes bake smaller amounts in the air fryer by reducing amounts but keeping the same ratio.

[Uschi]

I often cut the sugar by 25 %, too, without ill effects. If in doubt about the effect I add ground nuts/almonds or breadcrumbs (not quite the 25 % I want to substitute them for, though, but that is just my gut feeling). So far, so good.