What's the difference between castor sugar and icing sugar?
 

Hi everyone!

My daughter is making Autstralian Lamingtons for her project on Australia. The sponge cake recipe calls for 3/4 cup castor sugar, and the chocolate icing recipe calls for 4 cups icing sugar.

I'm guessing that icing sugar is what we call "powder" sugar in America... but is castor sugar regular ol' granulated sugar like we use for common baking or to sweeten coffee? Please advise!

Also, does anyone know the little spongy "lady fingers" that Americans use to make tiramisu or fruit compotes? Do you think that be used as the sponge cake base, simply coated in melted chocolate chips and rolled in coconut?

And thanks in advance.

castor sugar is regular granulated sugar. you are correct that icing sugar is confectioner's sugar. I supose you could use the lady fingers, but I'd go the whole way and make the sponge. They aren't a bit hard to do.

My recipes have always indicated that castor sugar is the equivalent in the US to superfine, or bar, sugar.

As for tiramisu, when I make it I use the crisp ladyfinger savoiardi cookies, not the spongy items, so can't say.

Thanks, Ladies!
Now I can zip off to the grocery! :)

Hi
here's a link that I found on a google search for castor sugar

http://www.ochef.com/580.htm

Caster sugar is a fine white sugar mostly used in cakes and puddings. It is also known as superfine sugar in the US.
When I was there, I used to give ordinary granuated sugar a quick whizz in a coffee grinder. You could also use it for ground almonds. I couldn't get those for love nor money. I have an American friend who makes suet puddings sometimes. She says that she has to go to the butcher for suet because you can't buy packs of it as you can in the UK,

In addition to Miss Prism's coffee grinder method, you can also make caster sugar by putting granulated sugar into a blender/liquidiser. That's how my mother (in the UK) always makes it anyway.

I was wondering about my spelling, but it turns out that both 'castor' and 'caster' are correct

'Castor' or 'caster' sugar is so called because being fine and runny it could be put inside a castor (container with holes at the top) for sprinkling.

I once tried using the blender to make caster sugar from granulated sugar, but ended up with icing sugar :-)

Yes, there's always a risk of getting icing sugar, but overdoing anything culinary can be dodgy.
Hands up all those who have never over whipped cream or who has never ended up with gravy browning rather than caramel.

I was heavy handed on two counts with a dessert recipe for company once. Both overwhipped the cream and added too much sherry to the cream mixture. Er, the two were related, as you can surely guess... Ended up with the best "sherry butter" for next day's English muffins! But, I had to begin the original dessert all over again....