Sugar

The recipes call for seven different types of sugar: granulated, superfine, raw or turbinado, Demerara, confectioners’, light brown sugar, and dark brown sugar. Granulated sugar is the basic white sugar that you probably have in your kitchen. Superfine sugar, also known as baker’s sugar or castor sugar, has small crystals that dissolve quickly. Raw or turbinado sugar has been minimally processed compared to white sugar, so it is made up of large, brown, crunchy crystals. The brown color indicates that there is molasses in it (the molasses has been extracted from white sugars), which gives it a deeper, more complex flavor than white sugar. Demerara sugar is also less refined than white sugar; it has a little more crunch and bigger grains than turbinado. Confectioners’ sugar, or powdered sugar, is a very fine, powdery sugar with a small amount of anti-caking agent in it, which makes it perfect for frostings. Light and dark brown sugar are more processed than raw sugar but less processed than granulated sugar. Brown sugar is moist and has a soft texture with varying amounts of molasses depending on whether it’s light or dark (about 3.5 percent for light and 6.5 percent for dark).