Coconut sugar

[hollyisalovelyname]

A Candice Brown recipe in the Sunday Times magazine includes coconut sugar.
Can I use a substitute ?
I don't think my local supermarkets will stock it.

Bump

Xylitol - is natural substance (despite the terrible name) - is birch sap! Looks like sugar and they defiantly sell it in Sainsbury and Waitrose - and Holland & Barratt!

Thank you. I'm not in the UK so sadly no Waitrose or Sainsburys.
I shall try Holland and Barrett.

Just use sugar?

Don't use Xylitol
It has a laxative effect. It isn't a natural substance, but xylose from which it is derived is. All the artificial sweeteners ending in "itol" - Erythritol, Lactitol, Maltitol, Mannitol and Sorbitol have this effect if you ingest too much.

Just use ordinary sugar. Coconut sugar has the same number of calories as other sugars.

Organic Xylitol (from Birch) - is as 'natural' as ordinary sugar (or as artificial)!. it is dangerous for dogs (as is chocolate I understand). Personally I try not to use any sugar these days - but I will use a little bit of black strap molasses, cinnamon and vanilla - but couldn't recommend this for your recipe - I used to check on-line for suggested sugar substitutions in cooking - but haven't for a while - but always got very good results with xylitol.

Does xylitol not give you the runs Evewasinnicent?

Unless you are making the cake purely for your own consumption I really would advise against using xylitol.

Quite frankly sugar substitutes aren't any healthier or better than sugar, so I would use sugar and eat less cake (or not eat any cake at all if I was that bothered about eating sugar)

I replace coconut sugar with brown sugar.

No - not something ever experienced in this household ! I made an apple pie recently with no sugar (other than obviously natural sugar in the apples and a dash of lemon juice) plus some cinnamon - and it was lovely - so really not much need for sugar substitutes at all these days.