Baking with xylitol and stevia instead of sugar
By Timeout
@Timeout (419)
April 18, 2012 6:20am CST
Hello mylotters!
I have been thinking of the idea recently of opening my own cupcake business. There are some businesses like that around, just a few, none of them had royal icing cookies between their products, so I thought maybe that would make the difference.
But recently I have had an idea to make it even more different. Using xylitol and stevia instead of sugar.
Xylitol is a sugar made from alcohol from fermented birch bark. It has 40% less calories than sugar. It tastes like sugar, it's safe for diabetics, it is not processed by bacteria in our mouths (therefore it prevents cavities!).
Stevia is a sweetener obtained from a South American plant, it has 0 calories and is 300 times more sweet than sugar (so you only need a pinch).
And these two are not bad for our health like aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame K!
I've been excited about the idea, and I would like to know what you guys think about this.
1 person likes this
2 responses
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
19 Apr 12
It sounds like a super idea. I see you've been doing some research on your subject. Have you thought about forming a business plan? You have a viable product that would have a lot of people wanting it. I know if my cupcake tasted like one made with real sugar and had less calories I would buy it.
If you need help forming a business plan, let me know. I've done three of the darned things for three different business classes (they're a pain in the as$ but are well worth the work.) and I can either walk you through online or send you a copy of the ones I did. If you are going to need a loan to start your business you're going to need a business plan. Plus, doing it yourself is going to save you thousands of dollars in not having to hire it done.
I definitely would say go for it, but do the plan first so that you have a good idea of what to charge for the cupcakes against what it will cost you to start the business, procure the supplies and equipment, and take care of other things that a person needs for their business. The one important thing I learned about selling your product is NOT to try to undersell your competition, it will close your business in a heartbeat. (I have three businesses of my own, so I learned a lot dealing with them.)
1 person likes this
@almond24 (1248)
• Hungary
18 Apr 12
I tink that's a fantastic idea. I have always been thinking about baking without sugar, but stevia and xylitol are not really available for me, so I tried fruit juices. It would be perfect for diabetics and health conscious people, if you find them, I'm sure they would be happy to buy healthy cupcakes.
You have to experiment with using them though. Stevia doesn't taste like sugar, so you might need to use some spice. I don't know how it tastes in cake. The cakes I made without sugar fell apart very easily, but I don't use eggs. Probably eggs would hold them together, but you know better how to make them.
I think many people would like the idea of healthy sugar free cupcakes 
