Canderel - Caster Sugar Sweetener - 4 x 370g

Perfect for my mum. Who has diabetes.

This is a blend of sugar with sweetener and just half the calories of the equivalent weight in pure sugar, so you can reduce the calorie count in your home baking by using this instead. It substitutes weight for weight with sugar in recipes and I couldn’t tell the difference in my finished cake. It can, apparently, have a laxative effect if you have too much, so I guess that’ll also help the calorie intake as you won’t want to have too much! I will be using this in the future, as every little helps when you are keeping an eye on calories, particularly if you enjoy home made baking. Mine came with a shelf life of slightly under three years, which is time enough. Update: I find it impossible to tell the difference between the goods I bake using this and pure caster sugar, so I have continued to use this and relish the reduced calorie intake that doesn’t come at the expense of taste or appearance. Happy days.

I use this for baking it is brilliant and sugar free and you can't tell the difference at all

It’s good stuff it does exactly what it says

This Canderel - Caster Sugar and Sweetener Blend 4x370G | Best for baking with less sugar and half of the calories is fine! easy to use! easy to open! nice and resealable! nice balance sweetness! value for money

The Xylitol and sugar mix in this pack has been formulated to look like caster sugar. With the same volume, weight and sweetness as pure sugar. We've successfully baked with this and it gives more browning than pure sweeteners. It has a lower glycaemic index than caster sugar so it is a good option if you are diabetic or have other reasons for reducing sugar in your diet, but as a mix containing sugar it will still boost sugar levels. There are warnings that you need to introduce Xylitol into your diet gradually or there may be a laxative effect. For the same reason, you need to limit the amount you consume per day.

Although pricey this seems a great alternative to sugar, having just half the calories. The big question though is of course taste - what’s the point of going to the trouble of baking if it doesn’t taste good. I’m a firm believer it’s better to have half as much of the real thing if it doesn’t taste good to get half the calories. Before use I tasted a bit out of the packet. It does taste and feel like the real thing, but with a slight pang of artificial sweetener aftertaste. I was a little concerned but used it anyway, and I have to say I’m impressed with how it performed. You can’t taste the artificial taste when it’s baked in something. I do think cakes made with this aren't quite the same. It doesn’t quite taste the same, and the texture slightly is different. Cakes seem just a touch heavier and gooier somehow, but not in a bad way, just different. Some things tasted like they needed baking for longer. But I do think I’m over analysing - if I didn’t know I don’t think I’d be able to tell. Everyone who tried cakes and bakes made with this commented on how good they were so this is a winner product all in all.

Okay - we all love cakes and sweet things - but none of us wants to get any fatter! Here’s a step towards that. Sugar that’s only half sugar and half low calorie sweetener. Obviously, it’s possible to buy low cal sweetener to put in your tea or sprinkle on your cereal - but how would you incorporate that into recipes like cakes and biscuits where sugar is a key ingredient? This product has done all the thinking for you! It is half sugar and half Candarel (my personal sweetener of choice). It bulks and weighs the same as if it were pure sugar, so you add it into your recipe as normal. And it bakes as if it were pure sugar - that’s what the packet says and, having just used it to make some cookies, I can say it does. So you have the kind of cake or cookie you are used to making - they taste the same but with fewer calories. What’s not to love?