Is honey an acceptable substitute for sugar in baking?

Marsha K., Baltimore, MD One can substitute honey for sugar in some baking, but you also need to compensate for the fact that sugar is a solid form of sugar and less sweet than honey, a liquid form of sugar. In baking breads and rolls you may substitute honey for sugar, measure for measure, e.g. 1 cup honey for 1 cup sugar. When baking cakes and cookies, substitute 7/8 cup (14 tablespoons) honey for each cup of sugar but you must also reduce the liquid called for in the recipe. For each cup of honey, reduce the liquid in the original recipe by 3 tablespoons of liquid. Also, if the original recipe does not call for a soured dairy product such as sour cream or buttermilk, add a pinch of baking soda to the recipe to neutralize the acidity of the honey. There are some other changes that occur when you substitute honey for sugar. The flavor is different because honey brings its own character to the recipe. Take care not to use very dark honey because its flavor can be overwhelming. There ...  more