What is Dark Molasses?

Molasses is a light to dark coloured heavy and viscous syrup remaining after raw sugar is crystallized out of the concentrated cane juice (mother syrup) by means of centrifuging.

Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses is the syrup resulting from the third boiling of the sugar cane juice during sugar processing. It’s the darkest, strong flavoured, has the lowest sugar content and is most viscous. It’s also bitter in taste. It’s sometimes just called blackstrap.

Blackstrap molasses may still contain 35 percent or more of fermentable sugars, and is used in making ethyl alcohol as rum (Encyclopedia Britannica)

Flavour of blackstrap molasses

Blackstrap molasses is viscous, robust and bittersweet with a strong aroma. It’s rich iron and has a considerable amount of calcium. It’s the least sweet of all the molasses with only about 37% sugar content.

Nutrition of Blackstrap Molasses

100g (3.5oz) Fancy Molasses provides 260 calories and contains the following:

• Sodium: 40mg;
• Carbohydrate 61g (sugar 37g, Fibre 4g);
• Protein: 4g;
• Recommended Daily Allowance for minerals (RDA): Iron 90% and Calcium (60%) (BulkBarn)

Culinary Use of Fancy Molasses

Molasses is used to add flavour, sweetness or colour to food.

Blackstrap molasses can be used in baked goods, cooked dishes and sauces that require sweetening. It can also be used to impart colour and aroma.

Used to add colour and aroma especially in fruit cakes or as a thickener in sweet sauces.

It can be used in recipes calling for baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) due to its acidity. The acid in molasses reacts with the sodium bicarbonate which is alkaline and produces carbon dioxide which causes the baked good to rise.

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