Cheesecake has a reputation as a rich, fattening dessert. Though cheesecake can contain a lot of protein, thanks to the cream cheese used to make it, it can also be high in fat and sugar. However, substituting low-fat cream cheese can help reduce the fat content while using a sugar substitute can trim the sugar content. According to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, both nutritive sugar substitutes, such as honey and agave, and non-nutritive substitutes, such as aspartame and saccharine, can be part of a diabetic diet. Different sugar substitutes require different handling when adapting them to cheesecake recipes.
Aspartame
Sold under the brand names Equal and Nutrasweet, aspartame deteriorates at high heat. While it is fine for unbaked cheesecakes, avoid using it in recipes for baked desserts. Aspartame contains a protein called phenylalanine. People who suffer from phenylketonuria, or PKU, a condition is which the body can't break down phenylalanine, should avoid aspartame. A study in the 2008 issue of the "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that aspartame could interfere with cell metabolism and neuron firing in the brain, the long-term effects of which are unknown.
Sucralose
Sucralose, sold as Splenda, doesn't decay with heat, so it makes a better choice than aspartame for baking. However, sucralose is 600 times sweeter than sugar, according to the Children's Hospital or Pittsburgh, so you use much less of it. In addition to adding sweetness to a dish, sugar also adds body. For better results with your cheesecake, use half sucralose and half sugar. You can purchase "baking blends" with these ratios of sucralose to sugar.
Stevia
Stevia is made from the dried leaves of the stevia plant. Stevia can have a bitter aftertaste, but many people prefer stevia over other sweeteners because it is a natural product. One packet of stevia equals about 2 tsp. sugar. Because you use smaller amounts of stevia to obtain the sweetness of sugar, adding it to recipes can produce unpredictable results. For example, without the bulk of sugar, some recipes won't be as smooth. Also, if you add too much stevia, you battle bitterness. Different brands of stevia have different sweetness levels, so you may have to experiment to come up with the amount of stevia that works best in your recipes.
Acesulfamine K
Acesulfame K, sold under the brand names Sunette and Sweet One, doesn't break down in high temperatures, making it more suitable for baking than many other artificial sweeteners. You can't digest acesulfame K, so it passes through the body unchanged. Mixing acesulfame K with another sugar substitute, such as stevia or sucralose, can reduce the bitterness of stevia or the metallic aftertaste of sucralose and allow you to reduce the amount of artificial sweetener you need overall.
Agave
Agave nectar is distilled from the agave, a succulent native to Mexico and South America. This syrup is sweeter than sugar, meaning that you can use less of it. Since agave is sold as a liquid, you'll need to reduce the amount of liquid in your recipe. The University of Missouri Cooperative Extension suggests that, when substituting agave for sugar in recipes such as cheesecake, you use three-quarters as much agave as sugar, and reduce liquids in the recipe by one-quarter. Though agave raises blood sugar less than table sugar or honey, the American Diabetes Association classifies agave with sugar and recommends avoiding it.
References
- University of Missouri Extension; Agave Nectar --- Better Than Sugar?; Glenda Kinder; June 2010
- University of Hawaii Cooperative Extension Service: Frequently Asked Questions --- Sugar
- Ohio State University Medical Center: Lite Recipes --- Desserts
- Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; Sugar, Sugar Substitutes and Artificial Sweeteners; March 2010
- "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Direct and Indirect Cellular Effects of Aspartame on the Brain; P. Humphries, E. Pretorius and H. Naude; 2008
- University of Nebraska Lincoln; Stevia; Georgia Jones
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