Knowledge Base > Fran Costigan - Chocolate in Vegan Desserts
Fran Costigan - Chocolate in Vegan Desserts
This event was on
Tuesday, May 05, 2026 at 1:00 pm Pacific, 4:00 pm Eastern
Join Chef Fran Costigan, Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, for a discussion and practical information about chocolate. We’ll explore its many forms, functions, and best uses in vegan … Read More.
Question:
Is there a difference in using white sugar or raw cane sugar when refining cacao? Does it alter the final tempered chocolate bars?
— Carolina Lapointe
Answer:
So many different things will make a difference in the final tempered chocolate bars. What you're purchasing will definitely be in temper, soWhite sugar or supermarket sugar, 99% pure, is a sugar that I don't use. And it is cane sugar when it starts out. I do use vegan cane sugar, which is not raw cane sugar. Forget raw cane. There really is no such thing, but it might be a Sucanat, which is a whole cane sugar, or what do I have here? Turronado sugar, which some people call it raw, and you can see, I think, that it's pretty coarse. So, I grind all of those sugars.
