Molasses

Light molasses comes from the first boiling of cane juice and is the sweetest and mildest. Dark molasses is thicker and more robust, and blackstrap is the darkest and most bitter, best used sparingly. Most baking recipes mean light or dark unsulphured molasses.

Molasses is acidic, so it reacts with baking soda to help leaven cookies and cakes. It also attracts moisture, keeping gingerbread and spice cakes soft. Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added back, and British black treacle is very similar to dark molasses.