My grandmother is diabetic and she told me all she wants for Christmas is for me to make her a "sugar-free" cake. I found a recipe for a white cake on this site that sounds good. The problem is when I looked for sorbitol in my local grocery store I could not find it. Does anyone know if Wal-Mart carries it or if I can substitute with something else? Another "sugar-free" recipe could also be helpful. Thanks in advance!
Happy holidays!

I'm not familiar with what diabetics can and can't eat but what about Splenda .... they sell that in walmart and can be used in place of sugar.

does the recipe call for liquid or crystalline sorbitol?
if you're shopping at wal-mart, call their PHARMACY and ask about what artifical sweeteners they carry (oftentimes, and certainly here in canada, the diabetic foods are kept by the pharmacy, and even some products behind the counter -- no prescription needed, but you need to ask for them). there is a good chance that you'll be able to find sweeteners suitable for diabetics (whatever kinds are available in the U.S. -- i think cyclamates are only available in canada) in the pharmacy section.

good luck!
check out the splenda site for other "sugar-free" recipes. it's sucralose, which is fairly well tolerated in most people (most people can't handle large amounts of any artificial or slowly-digested sugar, like sorbitol, as it can wreck havoc on the lower GI tract).

judy

the recipe didn't say whether to use liquid or crystalized. It calls for 1/2 cup. I'm guessing the crystalized form. I never thought about the pharmacy. That's a great idea! Thanks!

Let me know how the cake comes out! I am looking for a sugar free recipe to use for my diabetic father-in-law. His birthday is January 1st, so I would love to hear how your cake turns out , and possible get the recipe from you!

can you post the recipe here so i can take a look at it? it's very likely that you can probably substitute granular splenda for the sorbitol. all artificial sugars, even those "designed for baking" or "measures like sugar" provide only sweetness, and none of the other properties that sugar brings to a recipe (bulk, stickyness upon caramelization, etc.), so you can usually substitute one brand or type of sugar substitute for another (adjusting the amount needed) without corrupting the recipe, which has been (hopefully) formulated with other ingredients to compensate for the structural properties that sugar normally provides.

Aunt Judy, go to the recipes tab on this site and then go to search. Type in "diabetic white cake" and you should get the recipe. Sorry don't have time to post the recipe here right now. have to leave work and get home so I can start baking. If you can't find it let me know and I will type it here for you later. I let you know how it comes out.