Why can’t I use unsweetened chocolate in a recipe calling for bittersweet and just add sugar?
Guesswork would be involved in such a change, and even a slight change in the amount of sugar in a given recipe will disrupt the balance of sweet- ness and interfere with the texture of the final cake, brownie, or cookie. Too much sugar attracts moisture and so the baked product likely will be dense and heavy. Chocolate manufacturers understand how much sugar to add to their product for the correct balance of flavor and texture and then how to process the chocolate so that the texture and taste are smooth and even.
