battle of the sweeteners

I've been tempted to try using Agave syrups for a while now. I've gotten a vibe (mainly from reading healthy-living type blogs) that everyone who does healthy food uses agave as a sweetener.

So.

I turned to my chemistry book, this time looking into different sweeteners and the way they change baked goods.

Today, we made pound cake (in cupcake size for experimental reasons). This time the process was the same and the ingredient list similar (except for the type of sweetener). For one batch we used regular granulated sugar, the second honey, and the third agave. There is one conversion needed to lower the amount of fluid added in the batches with honey and agave (since both come in liquid form), but otherwise, the recipe was identical.

(blue paper: agave (clever, eh?); pink paper: granulated sugar; yellow paper: honey)

(they all baked for the same time- but look at the difference in color and shape!)

(mmm...getting closer to the taste test)

We found that the different sweeteners affected the crust (sugar was crunchiest), the dome shape, and the crumb texture. Not to mention the different color...

(moving in for the kill...taste test BEGIN!)

Mere moments later...

(did I mention that our lab group consists of only two of us? woops)

All three versions were, as the book would have us say, "acceptable". Unlike the muffins from our first experiment, all three versions were tasty and well textured. Having never tried agave before, I had expected it to be interchangeable with sugar taste wise. WRONG. Agave has a very distinct taste, but it was yummy. I least liked the honey, but only because it tasted like honey (which in itself is not an innately bad quality). Also, although the sweeteners did affect the texture (the honey and agave were denser and a little bit chewier), the results were all still yummy.

I should mention that we did make one other change (non-sanctioned by the book), by using coconut oil instead of shortening. This was for two reasons: 1. the idea of using shortening makes me feel ill to my stomach... and 2. if we're already trying agave why not try with the "healthier" fat for an overall healthier muffin?

I am sold with regards to the coconut oil. (we substituted 1 for 1, but we probably could have gotten away with a little bit less coconut oil...the cakes did have a slightly greasy feel). It added great flavor and was very successful in producing quality results as a substitute.

As a disclaimer I will add that DESPITE all the hype, Agave really isn't healthier than sugar. Although it comes from a natural source (like sugar), it is still processed (like sugar). Both provide very little nutritional value, and they have comparable calories per serving. That being said, Agave does have a nice taste, but I'm  still not entirely convinced that it is worth the extra $$. Anyone want to convince me otherwise??

C'est tout.

Alina