Caster Sugar vs Powdered Sugar | No Problem for Making Substitute

• Maurice E. Terry

If you stuck into a situation, where you want to make a cake with powdered sugar but the recipe demands caster sugar then certainly you will get the urge to know what is caster sugar or can you use powdered sugar as a caster sugar substitute or not. However, you are not the first to ask these questions; many other people also want to know the caster sugar vs powdered sugar facts.

We will ensure that you get the right answer for your questions without adding further effort on this matter. When you are trying this hard to make a nice dessert for your folks, we definitely give you information and support to win their hearts. In order to digest the exact details about caster sugar and powdered sugar, we will enlighten you with a little definition about caster sugar and powdered sugar, which will help to understand the slightest difference between these sugar types.

Caster Sugar

The caster granulate sugar that consists of superfine granulated crystals (0.35mm) has many loving names. In the UK and its commonwealth countries, Caster is known as Castor. In North America its known as superfine sugar and in Canada known as berry Sugar. This sugar is so grainy that it can easily go through a sieve, and there is a form of sieve named castor, that’s why people call it caster or castor sugar. There are two types of caster sugar found in the grocery stores, white and golden caster sugar.

White Caster

White caster is a more refined version of granulated caster sugar crystals. It resolves early, with any mixtures and creates an elastic format that helps to make bakery products.

Golden Caster or Dark Brown Caster

This type of sugar is made from unrefined sugar cane or beets. Because of its brown, golden color and buttery flavor, it is admired in the US and all over the world. You can make your own caster sugar in a particular way by using a food processor or grinder at home. Break the sugar for a few seconds until you get the fine texture. You can use this as a caster sugar substitute. The grainier the sugar crystal is, the more it allows the sugar to resolve and produce soft and light cakes.

Powdered Sugar

Powdered sugar is the dust form of granulated sugar that vastly known as confectioner’s sugar. Some places in the world it is also known as frosting or icing sugar. Pastry chef calls them 4x or 10x sugar. The bakers also use this frosty looking sugar on their bakery item as toppings. In order to avoid clumping, this sugar often mixed with cornstarch. Sugar dissolving capability depends on how much the sugar has been grinded. There are finer and superfine versions of this sugar are available.

The recipe for making powdered sugar at home is 1&1/2 Cups of Granulated Sugar + Plus 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch – Blend together (in blender or food processor) for about a minute until it becomes a powdered consistency. If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can easily make a powdered sugar substitute by following the above-mentioned recipe.

Caster Sugar vs Powdered Sugar

The fight between Caster sugar vs powdered sugar is on. I think, now it is clear to you, what is caster sugar and powdered sugar; therefore we can go further and explain the difference between the two. You can identify these two with their bodily features, for instance, caster sugar is very fine sugar thus not as fine as powdered sugar and both has a different application in baking and home cooking. We will show you the other differences between the two sugars in details.

Impact on Bakery

Caster sugar dissolves in any doe instantly, that’s why bakers use this sugar in various tasty cakes, ice –cream, biscuits and candy making, however, powdered sugar used as a topping like a frost snow look on doughnuts or smooth cream on the cakes. Caster sugar is perfect for creating sweeter confections and desserts, while powdered sugar creates the decorations and whipped cream for an attractive outlook. It also helps in icings, confections, sweet pastry, meringues, waffles, whipping cream or for dusting a final touch on cakes.

Home Cooking Approach

Powdered sugar is used in many homemade salads and sauces to give them little sweetness if needed. It is worked as a salad dressing. Caster sugar used occasionally in home-baking if need to make birthday cakes or Christmas cookies.

Sugar Use in Bars

Bartenders to sweeten up mixed drinks, as it doesn’t clump into crystals or form thick syrup often use caster sugar. Powdered sugar dissolves quickly into cold water that’s why it helps to make delightful cold drinks and other chilled cocktails with specialized cocktail shaker.

Health Benefits of Fine Granulated Sugar

Powdered sugar and caster sugar is almost the same when talking about its daily use. The health benefits are also similar because both of them are from sugar family. We describe a list of health benefits from both sugars in the following segment.

Sugar cannot treat or prevent any disease, but it can be very healthy if consumed in a moderate manner.

When There’s Barely Any Difference (Harmful Affects)

Although it’s a Caster sugar vs powdered sugar brawl, when we talk about the harmful effects of sugar, it’s almost the same for both cases. In our daily life every now and then, we use sugar as additives, for instance, if you are reading your favorite novel on a rainy day or working late night for upcoming projects, a need of a cappuccino is what time demands, and there, sugar is a must needed an ingredient. However, we have to remember, consuming ten cups of coffee a day means ten grams or more sugar a day. A little demonstration on harmful effects of granulated sugar is what you like to see now, so we are going to show it to you.

Liver Disease

Liver stores sugar as glycogen hence consuming too much artificial sugar can pressure the liver to expand from its normal size and hold extra sucrose as fatty acid around it. Some fat can stay in the liver, and it can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Heart Disease

A strange disease called “dyslipidemia” can cause by extra consumption of refined granulated sugar. Eating a large amount of powdered sugar can store extra sucrose as cholesterol, and it increases the risk of various heart diseases.

Sugar Addiction

Refined sugar is quite addictive. Sugar causes the release of a chemical substance in the brain cell called “dopamine,” which helps us to feel happiness or pleasure. Sugar from natural sources like fruits and vegetable do not release a huge amount of dopamine as artificial granulate sugar does. Because of this, people who like to have happy feelings over and over get addicted to sugar sources such as coffee, pastry, and chocolates. So next time if you feel a hard craving for sweets, remember its nothing but sugar addiction.

Obesity

Obesity is very common in our societies’ middle-aged person even young, because of adding too much artificial sugar in their daily food intake. When you consume sugar in an excessive level, you are putting empty calories without protein and fiber that are necessary to feel you are stomach full. Therefore, your body signals your brain to consume more food thus repeating this process without knowing, you become obeys. From then its no more caster sugar vs powdered sugar, it’s become life vs death.

There are more diseases like High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Myocardial Infarction, Hepatic Dysfunction, Type 2 Diabetes also caused by overdose of sugar intake.

Caution Is Better Than Prevention

Yes, caution is always better than cure. Sugar becomes a deadly substance that killing more people every year than any other disease in the world. If you love sugar so much that you cannot live a day without thinking of your favorite chocolate bar or coffee than its high time that you should start thinking about demising the volume of your sugar intake. To keep your body fit, while eating refined sugar is quite tough, though we prepared a course for you to maximize your life expectancy and lessen disease contact. If you maintain this list, hope you will remain fine even with moderate level sugar taking.

Conclusion

To settle the debate about caster sugar vs powdered sugar, the difference is powdered sugar contains starch, while caster sugar does not. Moreover, powdered sugar is finer than caster sugar. Both sugars do their jobs precisely in their distinct working areas. After knowing all the facts, I can assure that you will not go off the right track when you are preparing a special recipe.