IngredientsBaking
Brauner Zuckerbrown sugar
Sugar that still carries molasses. That is where the colour comes from, the caramel note, and above all the moisture it hands to the dough.
So it sits in Lebkuchen, in dark cake batters and anywhere the crumb should still be soft the next day.
In Mexikoin Mexico
Piloncillo and azúcar mascabado, in every mercado. Straight swap, nothing to work around.
Mascabado is the loose, easy to weigh version. The piloncillo cone is the strong one and tastes noticeably more intense than German brown sugar.
Verarbeitenworking with it
Grate the cone on the coarse side of a grater. Then you can weigh it and stir it in like brown sugar.
The other route is dissolving it in the warm part of the liquid: milk, coffee or honey, before the rest goes in.
Vorsichtcareful
The cone is rock hard. Breaking off a lump and dropping it into the batter does not work, it stays a lump.
Because it tastes stronger, it comes forward in Lebkuchen. First time round use a little less and taste the dough.