Beet Sugar vs. Cane Sugar

Carolyn Weil and her crew at The Bake Shop in Berkeley were hard at work one morning, boiling down large pots of sugar syrup to make buttercream for the day's buns, cakes and confections. The labels of most brands of sugars on supermarket shelves neglect to say whether what's inside is cane or beet. [...] many in the sugar industry disregard such results, because the conventional wisdom is that beet and cane are the same -- both types are sucrose and chemically identical. Hawaii alone has lost more than 60 percent of its cane fields over the last five years -- victims of urbanization and conversion to better-paying crops like macadamia nuts and coffee, says Roehl Flores , director of marketing for C & H Cane Sugar Co. Marion Cunningham, The Chronicle's "Home Cooking" columnist and author of the "Fannie Farmer Cookbook," says the shift from beet to cane endangers some traditional American recipes. Brown cane sugar -- a combination of sugar and molasses, both inherent in the sugarcane plant -- is produced naturally as part of the process of refining white cane sugar by the traditional method, crystallization. PROOF IS IN THE BAKINGThe Chronicle Food staff baked five batches of bar cookies in our test kitchen, each using a different brand of light brown sugar. Moisture differences, industry experts say, may account for the variation in both instances. [...] when we baked four versions of her Butterscotch Pound Cake -- using white granulated beet sugar, white granulated cane, light brown beet and light brown cane -- the differences in crumb texture, appearance and flavor were apparent, although subtle (see related story). When caramelized with a small blow torch -- the traditional way of browning the topping -- the cane sugar became brown and bubbly and the beet burned in seconds. Because of her own experiences at The Bake Shop and as a cooking teacher, Weil always requests C & H. In fact, Weil has become so devoted to the brand that she became a spokesperson for the company after research for this story began. [...] C & H's Flores says that some caramel popcorn and cinnamon roll producers are asking for his company's brown sugar because of its molasses content and uniformity. MORE THAN MARKETINGThe Sugar Association's Baker suggests that some manufacturers may consider the beet or cane designation simply "a marketing tool." COOKS, TASTERS PUT SUGAR TO THE TESTThe Chronicle Food staff baked five batches of the Brown Sugar Walnut Squares recipe on this page, each using a different brand of light brown sugar. Softer and moister than Best Yet and Springfield, not as sweet, clean tasting with no date flavor, lots of nut flavor and a buttery quality and uniform texture. More depth of flavor than Safeway, with a hint of molasses, most uniform texture and golden-brown color, no separation. Dark, dense, sticky, with a raisinlike texture, red-brown color and distinct separation among top, interior and bottom. WHICH SUGAR IS BEET, WHICH IS CANEFor the typical consumer buying sugar off the grocers' shelf, economics rather than performance determines what they will get. The Food staff baked several versions with different brands of brown sugar, finding each was very good but cane sugar produced the most even texture and best flavor. -- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour Combine the sugar, vanilla and egg in a mixing bowl, stirring until smooth. PER COOKIE: 115 calories, 3 g protein, 17 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat (0 g saturated), 13 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium, 0 g fiber. BUTTERSCOTCH POUND CAKEThis recipe from The Baker columnist Flo Braker is a nontraditional pound cake because it is baked in a tube pan. -- 8 ounces unsalted butter Using an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, cream the butter at medium speed until it is smooth and creamy. If at any time the mixture appears watery or shiny, stop the flow of eggs, and increase the speed until a smooth, silken appearance returns. When the mixture looks fluffy, white and increased in volume (adding the eggs and incorporating them into the mixture takes 3 to 4 minutes), reduce the mixer speed to low. PER SERVING: 245 calories, 3 g protein, 35 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat (6 g saturated), 58 mg cholesterol, 124 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.