Can I use regular sugar instead of superfine sugar in a cake?

Suzanne is a trusted source on General Cooking.

added about 1 year ago

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What type of cake? It really depends what kind of cake it is. You can make your sugar super fine by whizzing it in the food processor for a minute or so. It will break down the sugar crystals,

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Shuna is a pastry chef in New York City and author of the acclaimed blog Eggbeater.

added about 1 year ago

No, "Superfine" sugar is not ground caster/granulated sugar. Smaller sugar crystals are created in the evaporation process, they are not "ground" like flour/grain. Caster/granulated sugar can be substituted for most recipes calling for superfine, yes. The only types of cake this might be tricky in are egg white/meringue based ones like Angel Food or American Sponge or Chiffon/Genoise. Also superfine and granulated do not weigh the same. When I change recipes by way of substitution I sometimes reduce/increase sugar weight depending on kind of sugar I'm using/substituting.

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I do all the time and it turns out fine. I've recently been using organic cane sugar and that even worked fine as-is. It might depend on the recipe though. I make a pretty sturdy yellow cake that calls for it .... I just make sure to take my time incorporating it with the butter. The other suggestion is good though... I've used a coffee grinder to grind sugar finer.

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sstiavetti added about 1 year ago

Another thing to note is that grinding granulated sugar in your food processor will dull your blades, much like a sand blaster. Though in a pinch, it's a decent alternative if you just can't find superfine sugar. (see Shuna's note about about the actual differences in the two - listen to the pastry chef!)

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