Stevia.ws, the Stevia website, is an interactive community on Stevia with recipes, baking tips, information about steviosides and REB-A, all about the sweet herb.

Stevia is the ultimate sugar substitute, sweetening by using just a tiny fraction of the product.

It is perfect for use in coffee, tea, specialty coffee drinks and smoothies. It can also be added to unsweetened cereal, fruit, oatmeal, yogurt or a variety of other food products. Because of the intense sweetness of Stevia, use the following recommendations when using it as a sugar replacement.

• To replace a teaspoon of sugar, use 1/16 of a teaspoon of SteSweet (steviana Pure).
• Replace a tablespoon or an ounce of sugar with 1/8 tsp SteSweet (steviana Pure).
• A cup of sugar is replaced with ¼ tsp SteSweet (steviana Pure).
• 1 pound of sugar is replaced by 1 tsp SteSweet (steviana Pure).
• 1 liter of sugar is equivalent in sweetness to 2 tsp SteSweet (steviana Pure).
• 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of sugar can be replaced with only 2 3/8 tsp SteSweet (steviana Pure).

Stevia can be used in all types of baking; however, adjustments must be made for the loss of moisture. Some tips on baking with Stevia will ensure the ideal texture and volume of your healthier baked goods.

• To add extra moisture increase some non-fat liquids in your recipe by ½ cup.
• Add an egg white or two to increase volume and moisture. When adding egg whites to cake batter, fold them in for a higher, fluffier cake.
• Use 25% less of the dry ingredients called for in the recipe.
• Use higher quantities of leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda to make up for volume decreases. However, you should not use more than double the amount recommended by the recipe and you will need to reduce added salt because of the sodium in leavening agents.
• If using Stevia to replace brown sugar, add 3 to 4 teaspoons of molasses for each cup of brown sugar you are substituting.
• Bake your food using a smaller pan.
• Reduce your baking time slightly. For layer cakes, 10 minutes less than recommended is appropriate. For bundt cakes or loaves, reduce by 20 minutes. Test cakes before removing them from the oven.