1,553 easy and fully explained recipes, with +66K photos and 78 videos

This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...

The aromatic power of sugar

In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors.
Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas.

By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making them even more fragrant.

7,214 5/5 (1 reviews)

Keywords for this post:Sugar Flavours Zests Recipes Flavouring Tastes Tips

Last modified on: December 25^th 2024

For this post: Comment Follow Ask me a question Send to a friend

The aromatic power of sugar

Why does sugar capture flavours so well?

Sugar is hygroscopic, which means it attracts and retains moisture.
When it comes into contact with an aromatic ingredient, such as lemon zest or a vanilla pod, it absorbs the essential oils and volatile compounds.
The result? A fragrant sugar, ready to deliver these flavors more evenly and intensely in your recipe.

How to optimize sugar's ability to do this?

To get the most out of sugar in your recipes, simply :
1) Mix only the aromatic ingredients and the sugar: For example, zest the lemon(s) directly into the sugar, mix well(whisk or spoon), cover or wrap and leave to stand.
2) Leave the sugar and flavourings in contact for at least an hour (time is your ally).
For best results, overnight is ideal, allowing the sugar to absorb the flavors deeply.

What's next?

Simply continue your recipe, using this now deliciously flavored sugar.
The taste will be stronger and more balanced, in other words, your recipe will be better than if you'd simply mixed all the ingredients together.

Other gourmet examples

Here are a few other tasty combinations where this technique works wonders:

Sugar and vanilla bean: Perfect for flavoring cookies, creams or jams.
Sugar and spices: Cinnamon, cardamom or ginger, for warmly flavored shortbread or gingerbread.
Sugar and herbs: Basil or mint, perfect for sorbets or homemade syrups.
Sugar and flowers: Lavender or rose, for elegant, subtle desserts.

Why is this method better than conventional blending?

When zests or flavors are mixed directly with other ingredients in a recipe, some of their flavor is dispersed or lost in the cooking process.
By impregnating the sugar first, you ensure that these flavors are fully captured and released evenly, for a more intense and balanced result.
This way of doing things (sugar + aromatic ingredients mixed separately) can be applied to any recipe that contains them.

To sum up: first mix together the sugar and aromatic ingredients in your recipe, leave to stand for at least 1 hour, then continue your recipe with this highly aromatic sugar.

Lasts posts

XO Cognac Explained: Meaning, Aging, and Flavor Profile

XO Cognac always goes beyond the labels on the bottle: it is often associated with tradition and quality. You get to appreciate the artistry, character and ageing process when you understand what defines this smooth Cognac. The section below tackles everything about XO Cognac, from complex flavour...
January 28^th 2026267 Sponsored article

Butter vs. grease

We often read in a recipe where a pastry is put into a mould that, just before pouring, the mould should be buttered or greased. But what's the difference between these 2 terms?
December 1^st 20252,3605

Getting out of the fridge early

Very often when you're cooking, you need to take food or preparations out of the fridge, to use them in the recipe in progress. There's nothing tricky about this: you just take them out of the fridge and use them, usually immediately, in the recipe. But is this really a good method?
November 24^th 20251,5515

Who's making the croissants?

When you look at a bakery from the outside, you naturally think that in the bakery, the bakers make the bread, and in the laboratory, the pastry chefs make the cakes. It's very often like that, with each of these professions having quite different ways of working, but sometimes there's also one...
November 23^th 20251,404

Oven height

When we put a dish or cake in the oven, we naturally tend to put it on the middle shelf, and that's what we usually do. But in some cases, this position and height can be a little tricky, so let's find out why.
October 8^th 20254,4555

See all posts Random post RSS feeds

Other pages you may also like

Different kinds of pastry and dough

When cooking in general, and particularly in baking, we can make and use many different kinds of pastry and dough. All built on the same "base": flour - a powder to which we add fat, liquid or both to produce the dough which is then cooked. .
November 6^th 2012112 K 14.0

Kitchen ovens

You certainly have one in your kitchen, an oven, the essential tool for all kinds of cooking, whether in the kitchen of course, but also in pastry, bakery, pizza, and many others. Here is some information on its structure and operation.
May 16^th 202034 K4.4

Sugar syrups

In cooking, and especially in pastry, we often use sugar syrups, a simple mixture of water and sugar in varying proportions. Here is a presentation of their differences. .
January 17^th 202313 K4.8

Don't throw away your pizza crusts

You've probably already noticed that at the end of a pizza meal, at least half of the participants have left the crusts in the boxes or on the plates that many don't eat. Naturally, one would tend to put them "to the birds", or worse, to throw them away, and it's a shame because they are in fact...
April 22^th 202310 K4.9

How to properly roll out a pie crust?

Very often in pastry making, you have to roll out a pastry before using it for a pie or another dessert. At home, of course, you get out your rolling pin and simply roll it out. Is there a way to get an evenly rolled out dough? That's what we will see in this article.
May 10^th 202310 K4.9