Ok, so I am a little confused. I have heard yes and nos and my head is spinning now. Is it possible to do completely sugar free cakes, cupcakes, cookies etc etc...? I have been told all you have to do is substitute Splenda or some other type of sugar substitute for the sugar. Then I was told that you can't put all of the sugar substitute in because it's not granulated.

I am so lost. I have an idea to do a Sugar Free Bakery for two reason, one, there are a lot of diabetics out in the world and not enough "sweet" items out there. And two, with people having gastric bypass (me being one) you can't have pure sugar. well having the surgery doesn't stop you from having cravings for baked goods. And having just been married and trying to find a wedding cake that has no sugar in it (that I wouldn't pay an arm and half a body for) was very nerve racking.

Thanks for the help ( and the ranting).

I would say no

I just spoke with a woman the other day who was in a similar situation, except with gluten-free foods for those with Celiac disease.

I think if you took a lot of time and tried a LOT of recipes, techniques, and ingredient substitutions, you might come up with a repertoire of tasty sugar-free baked goods.

Now, would they ever taste as good as things made with real sugar? Would you be able to come up with enough recipes to stock a bakery? Would there be enough demand in your area? Those are things it's hard to know the answer to.

That's why you'd get a marketing analysis.

If you are good at it, and make this that taste and look great, you will be very successful with this. If you are in the right part of town, anyway. People will pay a lot to stay skinny and still enjoy things they love.

I used to have a store front and would have sugar free and regular stuff. Quite frankly, given the economy I dont' think a full on sugar-free bakery would be a hit. Sure you'd get business but my sugar free line to regular you just could not compare. Yes, there is a market for sugar free but you cannot depend solely on that. There was a business here where I am that tried it and it flopped. Please forgive me, I don't want to shoot your dream down, that's not my intention. I just wanted to share my experience.

Now as to baking with sugar free. There are a lot of products on the market that can be used. To bake as you would at home, baking with splenda does not yield the same rise to your cakes. You can get sugar free mixes that have other products in them which are proven to be wonderful. Sugar free usually means a little more money in your food cost, therefore, you have to pass that along to the consumer. In this economy, people just are not inclined to spend extra on the things that are not necessity, therefore they will buy but not as frequently as in a good market. Look at the grocery stores who sell sugar free, most only sell a small amount. If it were a fantastic selling point, trust me, they would be all over it.

I feel bad..please don't take this response harshly and this is truly only my opinion. I wish you all the best in whatever your endevors are. )

For the most part Iâm sugar free, and honestly I donât think a totally sugar free bakery would survive. There is just not enough demand (when compared to the general population).

PS: sugar free does not mean low calorie. I eat Russell Stovers sugar free candy and they are loaded with fat and calories.

FYI-diabetic care has been changed recently. My daughter, a diabetic, has now been told the new way to keep in control is to count her carbs as well as limiting her sugar. So, no cake or cookies -with or without sugar.