I'd suggest using low-glycemic agave nectar instead of no-calorie chemical sweeteners. Splenda, and other chemical sweeteners, as well as stevia, don't react like sugar does in breads. Most chemical sweeteners are proteins and therefore don't feed yeast. So Splenda won't perform the same function that a "sugar" does. Sugar does more just sweeten the finished loaf. In bread recipes that call for "sugar" (in the broad sense - to include table sugar, syrups, honeys) it aids in tenderizing the crumb, browning the crust, feeds the yeast, and actually makes the bread heavier. Syrup sweeteners like malt syrup provide all the characteristics of "sugar", but also provide enzymes to break starch (in flour) into sugar for yeast action. Lean dough recipes, like French and Italian breads, don't require sugar in the recipe, but they characteristically stale rapidly because they don't include sugar and fat in the recipes. The reason there is a French Bread cycle on bread machines is that lean doughs don't include sugar in the recipes and it takes longer for the dough to rise, so the French Bread cycle has a longer rising time. The baking temperature is higher on the French Bread cycle because without sugar the crust will not get too dark with a higher heat. Agave nectar is a natural low-glycemic, honey-like sweetener, that doesn't raise blood glucose, but it works like sugar does in breads. Agave nectar aids in fermentation due to its high monosaccharide content. So it can be used to your advantage in bread making (and baked goods) to help maintain freshness and texture. When used in breads and baked goods, instead of "sugar", agave nectar has the ability to increase the water retention properties of a food, so they stay moist longer, which is a plus for homemade bread which tends to stale quickly. Because of its high content of monosaccharides (over 90%), agave nectar has a high osmotic pressure. This characteristic helps to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. Another good quality that aids in helping to prevent mold growth. Agave nectar contributes to the Malliard browning reaction for a nice brown crust. Different "sugars" give different characteristics in breads. All "sugars" interfere with gluten development. Too much table sugar can destroy gluten (two tablespoons of sugar per cup of flour is the maximum that you can add without major gluten damage). Glucose and corn syrup browns at lower temperatures than many sugars. If you start to read the labels on commercial breads you will notice a number of "sugars" are used in them. Most sugars are hygroscopic and absorb water. Naturally-occurring (not chemical forms of) fructose (which agave nectar and honey are high in) and fruit sugar (which is one of the two sugars that makes up table sugar), is more hygroscopic than most, which is why table sugar is commonly used in enriched breads. Yeast doesn't respond well to the sugar, lactose, in milk, and milk has other attributes it contributes to breads. Both honey and agave nectar aid in keeping the moisture in the crumb if you freeze your breads. -Grainlady

Ovenbird, here you go. I took this to a Christmas dinner yesterday, never told them it was Splenda, and nothing was left, not even a slice for me at midnight! This is by far the best cheesecake I have ever had. CHEESECAKE Ruth Streit from niece, Carol Lutjens CRUST: 1 ¼ c. graham cracker crumbs (I use 2 cups, either thicker bottom/go up sides) ¼ c. sugar or Splenda ¼ c. softened butter (1/2 stick) - unsalted FILLING: 4 large eggs, room temp. 1 ½ pints sour cream (3 cups) 3 8 oz. bricks cream cheese, room temp. 1 tsp. vanilla 1 ½ c. sugar or Splenda 1 tsp. grated lemon peel, pith removed. Preheat oven to 350F. Wrap bottom of spring form in foil. Blend graham crumbs with butter until mixed and resembles coarse corn meal. Press into the bottom of a spring form pan. Cream together the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar. Mix in one egg at a time. Add vanilla, and beat until smooth. Pour into spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 40 miniutes. IMPORTANT! After 40 minutes, turn off oven and leave cake in for 1 hour with a potholder cracking the door open for a slow cooling. DO NOT OPEN OVEN DOOR WHILE CAKE IS IN IT COOLING!!! Top with any pie filling if you like, but do not use all the syrup. For best results, make this one day ahead and refrigerate. I wrap the springform in foil, just in case. It does not go into a waterbath, I just want to keep the oven clean.

Warning - long post! I make the following recipes with Splenda on a regular basis. If a recipe calls for 1 cup, I'll use a Splenda Quick Pack which has 24g fewer carbs than 1 cup of the spoon for spoon Splenda. I'm diabetic so I have to watch my carbs. Enjoy! The Fantabulous Whole Wheat Carrot Cake (original recipe from Recipezaar) 16 servings in 9"x13" pan or 24 mini-muffins 2 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 cup Splenda or 1 Splenda Quick Pack 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 4 eggs 1 cup canola oil (or substitute with some apple sauce) 2 cups grated carrots 1 cup unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained Combine dry ingredients. Beat oil and eggs until frothy; stir in carrots and pineapple. Mix wet ingredients with dry until just mixed - do not over mix. Put into greased baking pans of your choice. Bake at 350° - 15 min for mini-muffins; 25-30 min for 8"x8" pan; 30-40 min for 9"x13" pan. Cool in pan several minutes, then remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. -------------- Sweet Potato Mini Muffins (I think this originally was lindac's recipe) 24 mini-muffins 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, sifted 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup Splenda or 1 Splenda Quick Pack 1 cup chopped pecans 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup melted butter 1 cup cooked and mashed/pureed sweet potatoes (I use more) Preheat oven to 350° convection bake. Mix together dry ingredients, including nuts. Mix butter, sweet potato, eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in the dry ingredients until just moistened and spoon into greased muffin tin. Do not over mix as too much gluten will develop and make the muffins tough. Bake at 350° for about 15 minutes. Let cool in pan a few minutes, then remove and let cool on a rack. ------------ Chocolate Cake Brownies (Nechama Cohen) 12 servings Note: I use all white whole wheat flour and add a little more oil and coffee. I also double the recipe and use a 9"x13" pan. 2 eggs plus 1 egg white (I use 2 jumbo eggs) 1/3 cup walnut oil 3/4 cup Splenda granular 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda dash of salt 1/4 cup chopped nuts 1/4 cup almond flour or finely ground almonds 1/2 cup strong coffee 1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa 1 tsp vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350 F. Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper. With an electric mixer on a high setting, beat the eggs, slowly adding the oil and Splenda until the mixture gets thick. Sift the flours with the baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the chopped nuts and nut flour. Mix the coffee, cocoa and vanilla extract. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula, add the flour and coffee mixtures to the eggs mixture, alternating between the two. Pour into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. When the top is just firm to the touch, remove from the oven. Do not use the toothpick test for doneness. This cake should come out very moist. Place on a grate to cool. Cover and refrigerate. When cold, using a serrated knife, cut into 12 equal squares. Store in an airtight container or freeze. ------------ Thai Cucumber Salad (Sue Levin) Makes about 3 cups 1 cup white vinegar 1 Splenda quick pack (1 cup sugar equivalent) 1 chopped serrano chili 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced 1/2 cup chopped peanuts Heat the vinegar and Splenda over medium heat till the Splenda is dissolved. Let cool. When ready to serve, mix vinegar mixture together with cucumbers, cilantro and chopped peppers to taste. Serve with chopped peanuts on top. ------------------- Curd Cheese and Apple Soufflé (nami-nami food blog) 2 cups curd cheese or ricotta (I use 1% small curd cottage cheese) 4 large eggs 5 Tbs dry cream of wheat, uncooked 1/2 cup plus a little more sour cream or plain yogurt (I use reduced fat sour cream) 6-1/2 Tbs sugar (I use 10 packets of Splenda) a pinch of salt 4-1/2 cups or 2-1/2 large apples (I used three 4" Braeburns, peeled) lemon juice Topping: cinnamon sliced almonds butter Wash the apples, peel (optional), core and slice thinly. Sprinkle with lemon juice to avoid turning dark. In a large bowl, mix cheese until smooth. Add eggs, one by one, mixing thoroughly between each addition. If you prefer a fluffier soufflé, whisk the egg whites separately and fold in gently at the end. Add cream of wheat, sour cream/yogurt, sugar/Splenda and salt; stir until combined. Fold in sliced apples. Pour the mixture into a large buttered oven dish or a non-stick spring form pan with parchment paper on the bottom. Sprinkle top with cinnamon and sliced almonds, and dot with butter. Bake at 350° for about 45 minutes (mine took 70 min) or until the soufflé has risen and turned a light golden color. Serve either hot or cold. A warm curd soufflé is good served with cold milk; a cold one goes well with crème anglais. (FYI - I eat it with no topping.)

Splenda and Splenda for Baking are essentially the same. When the makers of Splenda originally asked tests kitchens to work with Splenda and develop recipes using it they found that they needed to add extra baking soda and nonfat powdered milk to their recipes to get them to rise properly when baked. After Splenda took off in the marketplace the manufacter launched the 'Splenda for Baking' in response to consumers complaints of flat cakes! 'Splenda for Baking,' is simply Splenda with 1/2 cup of nonfat powdered milk and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda per cup of Splenda.