What can I use instead of powdered sugar for cake?
Start with Blended Granulated Sugar (Blend 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cornstarch until powdery). Homemade powdered sugar works perfectly. Blend for 30-60 seconds.
Best Powdered Sugar Substitutes for Cakes
Pick substitutes that preserve tenderness, aeration, and even rise in cake batters. Cake structure depends on balanced fat, sugar, and hydration. Wrong swaps can create a dense or dry crumb.
Can I make a cake without powdered sugar?
Yes. Start with Blended Granulated Sugar at Blend 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cornstarch until powdery, then adjust liquid or bake time in small steps after a test batch.
Top Recommendation
Blended Granulated Sugar
Use Blend 1 cup granulated sugar + 1 tbsp cornstarch until powdery
Homemade powdered sugar works perfectly. Blend for 30-60 seconds.
View full adjustment notes →What makes this swap demanding for cakes
In cakes, powdered sugar isn't just sweetener — it's a tenderiser. The ~3% cornstarch competes with flour proteins to soften the crumb, and the talc-fine particles dissolve into butter without the sharp crystal edges that granulated sugar uses to whip air into a creaming stage. Sub badly in a pound cake or velvet sponge and you get a tighter, slightly gritty crumb that weeps syrup as it cools, because undissolved sugar pulls moisture out of the set starch network.
- DIY blends drift fast — over-blitz granulated with cornstarch and you'll get a pasty, almost sodden crumb in a delicate sponge. Stop at 30-45 seconds and sift before measuring.
- Don't try to cream butter with homemade powdered sugar the way a recipe creams granulated — the fine particles can't aerate fat. Use the reverse-creaming method or whip eggs separately for lift.
- If your cake recipe specifies powdered sugar for a glaze or dusting (e.g. a Bundt or genoise finish), swap with caster sugar instead — coarser DIY blends will sit on the surface as visible specks rather than melting in.
How much does 1 cup of powdered sugar weigh?
On CupOrGram, 1 cup of powdered sugar is treated as 120 grams. Use the conversion page if you want the original ingredient weight before choosing a substitute.
Powdered Sugar cups to grams →