Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) Omnivore\'s Cookbook PDF

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18/03/2019

Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup)

https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

This homemade golden syrup recipe was created to be used for traditional Cantonese mooncakes and other Chinese desserts. Golden syrup is a type of inverted sugar syrup used in traditional Cantonese mooncakes and lots of other Chinese desserts. It’s a type of inverted sugar that has a beautiful amber color, a rich and fruity aroma, and a very creamy texture. https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

But what is inverted sugar?

MY LATEST VIDEOS According to Wikipedia, inverted sugar is a mixture of glucose and fructose. Compared to sucrose, the granular sugar we use every day, inverted sugar is sweeter. By adding inverted sugar to a dish, you prevent sugar in it from crystallizing. Products made with it tend to retain moisture, have a tender texture, and thus have a better mouthfeel. It is an ingredient often used in bakery and pastry shops. It is also used in the process of making ganache, jelly, fudge, taffy, and ice cream.

https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

When I attempted to make mooncakes the rst time. I purchased Lyle’s golden syrup from Amazon. It is a great product, but quite pricey. After some research, I found it’s very easy to make golden syrup from table sugar. It is a bit time consuming, but the process is very easy and the cost extremely low. The logic is simple. If you add sugar into water and boil it long enough (40 to 60 minutes), the sucrose will be inverted and produce a golden colored syrup. This process includes introducing acid (lemon juice in this case). It https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

speeds up the inversion process and prevents the sugar from crystallizing. I used this homemade golden syrup to cook mooncakes, and the results were great, but the story doesn’t end here. When I was experimenting with two batches of mooncakes, one with homemade syrup and one with store bought syrup, I found a surprising result.

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

The dierence between homemade golden syrup and store-bought A quick introduction to making mooncake dough – it requires use of golden syrup and an alkaline solution (also called kansui). The golden syrup will create a tender and moist cake which keeps its shape despite being paper thin, and can be shaped into delicate patterns (those you see on the beautiful traditional mooncakes). Kansui is used to neutralize the acid that is introduced by the golden syrup, resulting in a sweet pastry with no sourness. The amount of kansui also determines the tenderness and color of the cake (light yellow to dark brown), and slightly increases the ufness of the cake without causing it to rise too much. When I started using homemade golden syrup to make mooncake dough, I found the syrup emulsied once it was introduced to the alkaline solution. Later on, I learned that this emulsication is actually an important step in dough making. It didn’t happen when I used the store-bought golden syrup.

The homemade golden syrup emulsied after introducing kansui (on the right), while the store bought one barely did (on the left).

So I checked the label on the bottle of syrup. It contains only cane sugar. Then I found out there are two ways to make golden syrup. It can be made (1) in the process of rening sugar cane or sugar beet juice into sugar, or (2) by treatment of a sugar solution with acid (from Wikipedia). Evidently, the store-bought golden syrup is made by the former method, and the homemade one takes the latter approach. The commercially prepared syrup does contain acid, but the amount is very low, only 0.1%. The homemade syrup has a much higher acid content. What matters here, is since store-bought golden syrup contains much less acid, there is no reason to use a lot of alkaline water to neutralize it. When I thought back, I found that the mooncake batches made with store-bought golden syrup had a darker color, which would logically result from adding too much alkaline solution. A darker colored mooncake is not necessarily a bad thing. But please note, homemade golden syrup has different contents than a store-bought one. When you are using a mooncake recipe that includes store-bought golden syrup, using a homemade one might yield a lighter color.

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Homemade Golden Syrup (转化糖浆, Inverted Sugar Syrup) | Omnivore's Cookbook

The other thing you need to note, is that while you’re cooking golden syrup, the inversion percentage of sucrose varies depending on the temperature of the sugar solution. To make mooncakes, the golden syrup needs to register 230 to 239 degrees F (or 110 to 115 degrees C) at the end of boiling. However, even if your golden syrup registers within this range, the water percentage will vary (from 15% to 25%), which might require some adjustment to the amount of our added to the mooncake dough.

Golden syrup is quite thin and running the day it’s made.

That’s it. I hope this doesn’t sound confusing or complicated. The truth is, as long as you follow the instructions below, you will get a rich and fruity syrup that will allow you to create beautiful mooncakes.

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Homemade Golden

nvert Sugar Syrup)

This homemade golden syrup recipe was created to be used for traditional Cantonese mooncakes and other Chinese desserts. Print Condiment

Chinese

Pin 5 minutes Maggie Zhu

Rate 1 hour

1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients 50 milliliters fresh lemon juice 400 grams (200 milliliters) caster sugar 200 milliliters filtered water

Instructions 1. Juice one big lemon. Drain lemon juice through a coarse strainer, discard the seeds and fruit bits. Place a funnel (or the funnel part of a coffee machine) over a cup and line a coffee filter inside. Pour in lemon juice and let drain. If the coffee filter gets clogged, change to a new filter. Alternatively, you can use several layers of cheesecloth or a fine strainer to drain the lemon juice. Measure 50 milliliters lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside.

2. 3. Prepare a cup of filtered water and a silicon blush. 4. Combine caster sugar and 200 milliliters filtered water in a small stainless pot (or ceramic pot). The deeper the pot, the better. (*see footnote 1) Do not use a pot made of aluminum or cast iron. Heat over medium heat until bringing to a boil.

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5. 6. Add lemon juice. Keep cooking until it reaches a boil again. Turn to low heat and let the solution simmer. I used a heat level of 2.5 out of 10 on an electric stove. (*see footnote 2) 7. Do not stir the syrup from this point forward. 8. While simmering the sugar. Dip a basting brush in water and brush along the walls of the pot to let the water run down into the syrup. This helps prevent the sugar from crystallizing along the walls of the pot. You might only need to do this at the beginning of the cooking.

9. 10. Check on the syrup every 10 minutes during simmering. If you notice any crystal-like masses appearing on the walls of the pot (close to the surface of the syrup), brush water over the mass to dissolve it and let it run down into the syrup. 11. It takes 40 minutes to 1 hour to cook the syrup. Keep close watch after 35 minutes. You should notice the color of the syrup turning darker and more bubbles appearing on the surface in the last 10 minutes of cooking. The pictures below shows the the syrup after 30 minutes and 40 minutes of simmering.

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12. 13. When the syrup color turns amber, measure with a clean thermometer. The temperature should register 230 to 239 degrees F (or 110 to 115 degrees C). It took me 54 minutes to simmer the syrup. (*see footnote 3)

14. 15. If the temperature of the syrup raised too fast while its color still pale, you can add more water and let simmering a bit longer. 16. When the syrup is done, remove pot from heat and let cool completely. 17. Transfer the golden syrup to a clean, airtight jar and store in room temperature. If you sanitize the jar, the golden syrup can be stored up to a year. 18. The golden syrup will be ready to use after 24 hours. The taste gets much better after 2 to 3 days. The bubbles will disappear and the sourness will reduce significantly, thus producing a fruity aroma and more concentrated flavor.

Notes 1. The syrup will thicken and make a lot of splatter on your stove if you use a shallow pot. 2. It’s very important to let the syrup cook slowly so the water won’t evaporate too quickly. The longer you cook the syrup, the darker it will become, and the more sugar will be inverted. If you let the water evaporate too quickly, you will end up with a lighter syrup. https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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3. I highly recommend you use a thermometer during the cooking process. The syrup thickens relatively quickly towards the end of the cooking, and it’s very difficult to tell when it’s done by simply observing the color. The color of the syrup should reach a golden amber that is not too dark. And you’re looking for a texture that is very runny and thinner than honey. The texture will thicken a lot as the syrup cools down. And it will become even thicker after two days.

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MEET MAGGIE

Hi I'm Maggie Zhu! Welcome to my site about modern Chinese cooking - including street food, family recipes, and restaurant dishes. I take a less labor-intensive approach while maintaining the taste and look of the dish. I am originally from Beijing, and now cook from my Austin, Texas kitchen. REA D M O RE PO STS BY M A G G IE →

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30 THOUGHTS ON “HOMEMADE GOLDEN SYRUP ( 转化糖浆 , INVERTED SUGAR SYRUP)”

JEN September 25, 2015 at 8:12 pm

Hi Maggie, thanks for sharing the recipe of your experiment. Loved the pictures! Will try to making the golden syrup for my next batch of moon cakes. Wishing you a happy mid autumn festival! ★★★★★ https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

September 26, 2015 at 12:17 am

Thanks for leaving a comment Jen! Wow, I’m really glad to hear that people really want to make the syrup and mooncake at home. The process is a bit time consuming, but the result is denitely rewarding! Happy cooking and do let me know how the mooncake turns out! You too, happy Mid Autumn Festival!

KEVIN | KEVINISCOOKING September 30, 2015 at 11:05 am

Wow, thanks for educating me on that one, lots of valuable information Maggie, well done! And these photos? Holy smokes they are outstanding, simply beautiful. Pinned. ★★★★★

ADINA October 8, 2015 at 1:00 am

Great post! I have been wanting to make Harry Potter’s favorite cake Treacle Tart forever, but I need golden syrup for that and I didn’t know what that is or what to buy instead here in Germany. Maybe now I can give it a try.

DINI @ THE FLAVOR BENDER October 9, 2015 at 5:43 pm

I needed golden syrup, but it was way too pricey! Then I remembered that YOU had a recipe for one and I am SO glad I checked it out!

I will denitely be making this. Thank you Maggie!!

DINI @ THE FLAVOR BENDER October 17, 2015 at 2:26 pm

Just made this yesterday and I have to ask my husband to hide it from me! I get to have Golden syrup and buttery toast again which makes me very very happy! I made 1.5 batches and I didn’t change a thing, but I think I might have squeezed a little too much lemon in mine – I should invest in a better measuring cup (there was no 75mL mark). Mine took about 50-55 minutes to reach the right consistency too. I absolutely love it! It’s fruity, delicious and I will be making it again Thanks Maggie! https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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★★★★★

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

October 19, 2015 at 11:31 pm

Hi Dini, I’m so happy to hear the cooking came out well! I was so nervous cooking it the rst time! Actually I remember my golden syrup tasted a bit sour too, when it’s just cooked. But after letting it resting for 3 days, the acid (might even be a bit astringent) taste was mostly gone, and turned to a very fruity avor. Me too, I love snaking on it here and there, and I ended up not having enough syrup for baking! Hope you’ll have enough left for the baking, and hope the baking turns out great! Thanks again for taking time to report back the result!

RACHAEL July 7, 2016 at 2:13 pm

I have just made a double batch of this. I was right at 1 hour for the right consistency and I was monitoring it constantly with a candy thermometer. I took it off the heat at 230f and put it straight into a sterilized mason jar. I had a sneaky lick around the pan and it tasted so great! Can’t wait to taste it in a few days…hopefully the acid taste will be gone. Thanks for the recipe! ★★★★★

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

July 12, 2016 at 10:00 pm

Hi Rachael, thanks for reporting back your cooking result! Yes the acid taste will mostly go away after a few days. I hope the syrup turned out as good as you hoped

YANYAN WANG August 19, 2016 at 12:55 pm

Wow, that’s so educational, this article explained very well about how the sugar was inverted. Thanks, Maggie.

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

August 19, 2016 at 1:13 pm

Glad to hear the article is helpful! It’s so much cheaper to make it at home, and it tastes just as good

https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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HANNER October 18, 2016 at 10:43 am

Thanks so much for putting this out for the world! As soon as I nish of my last few drops of Lyle’s, I’ll be trying this to refresh my stash. We make many spicy ginger cakes as gifts and party food from October through December every year, so this will save us some cash for sure! (If anyone wonders, the Double Ginger Cake by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall can be found online and is the base recipe we use. We add more ginger, some faintly bitter candied lemon rind, and we let it age a few days before serving. It ships well, too.)

HANNER October 18, 2016 at 11:01 am

Whoops! That double ginger loaf cake is by Nigel Slater, actually.

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

October 18, 2016 at 10:04 pm

You’re the most welcome Hanner! If you’re planning the baking, make sure to make the syrup a few days ahead so it has enough time to rest. The syrup tastes quite sour at rst, but then the acid taste will mostly disappear after a few days. Will check out the double ginger cake for sure because it sounds heavenly! Thank you for sharing and have a great week ahead

LEE GUNDLACH November 20, 2016 at 1:22 pm

Excellent article with detailed instructions worked perfectly. I was in Beijing a few years ago and got a moon cake mold. Getting ready to make my rst batch since i now have Golden Syrup. Wish me luck. ★★★★★

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

November 20, 2016 at 9:29 pm

https://omnivorescookbook.com/homemade-golden-syrup

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Hi Lee, I’m glad to hear your cooking turned out well! Good luck with the mooncakes. It’s a challenging task and very rewarding. Let me know how they turn out Have a great week ahead!

JACKIE December 10, 2016 at 3:15 pm

h0w deep does the pot need to be? regards from jackie in Ukraine. I can’t afford a thermometer

MAGGIE

P OST A UTHOR

December 21, 2016 at 12:08 am

Hi Jackie, a small pot that is at least 10-cm above the syrup will be ne. If you don’t have a thermometer, try cook the syrup for 45 minutes, it should be done around the time. Just observing the syrup when it’s nearly done. If it gets too dark, you can add a bit water to return it back to the amber color.

HSIN March 4, 2017 at 2:32 pm

Hi Maggie, Thank you do much for the great post and clear instruction. I’m a newbie at your website and I was so happy and excited when I found your post about home made mooncake 2 days ago! I tried this recipe to make golden syrup and it turned out well. I tasted it a bit when it’s done, the texture reminds me maltose that I had in my childhood....