Date
sugar is more a food than a sweetener. It contains fiber and nutrients, just as fresh dates do.
Although it will not dissolve very well in your cup of coffee, it works very well, substituted cup-for-cup, in any baked-goods recipe that calls for brown sugar.
It is ground up from dehydrated
dates, is high in fiber, and a long list of vitamins and minerals,
including iron.
Dates are 50 to 70 percent sugar by weight. The super-sweet Deglet Noor variety contains the same sucrose as sugar cane. The
Halawy, Zahidi, and Khadrawy varieties contain invert sugar composed of dextrose and
levulose, similar to that in honey.
The manufacturers don't state the type of date used, so it's not be possible to find out what type of sugar it is.
Though fresh dates score low on the glycemic index, dried fruits always score higher, and dehydration
makes the score higher still since the sugar becomes more and more concentrated.
So it's not recommended for diabetics or those on a low-glycemic diet, but it's great for anyone else who wants a very unrefined close-to-nature sweetener.
Date sugar - substitute one cup
date sugar for each cup granulated sugar.
RECIPE
DATE SPICE CAKE:
Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c cane juice crystals
1/3 c. butter
2 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground cloves
1 c date sugar
1 c +2 t. buttermilk
Beat egg
whites til frothy. Gradually add cane juice crystals. Continue
beating til very stiff and glossy.
In second bowl beat butter til softened. Add dry
ingredients and 3/4 c buttermilk. Beat 1 min.
Add
remaining buttermilk and yolks. Beat 1 min. Fold in egg white
mixture.
Pour into 2 greased and flour 8" round or 1 13x9x2"
pan. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 min.
