Baking Powder & Baking Soda– Both baking powder and baking soda are chemical leavening agents that cause batters to rise when baked. Always add your leavening ingredients to the other dry ingredients such as flour and spices that are in your recipe and be sure to sift all of those ingredients together before adding to the recipe.
Baking powder consists of baking soda, one or more acid salts (cream of tartar and sodium aluminum sulfate) plus cornstarch to absorb any moisture so a reaction does not take place until a liquid is added to the batter. Most baking powder used today is double-acting which means it reacts to liquid and heat and happens in two stages.
Baking powders are not all the same. But what they share is an acid leavening agent, an alkaline leavening agent and a filler. The filler is usually cornstarch and is added to keep it from absorbing moisture. Most baking powders are “double-acting” meaning they produce an initial reaction upon mixing with a batter, and then a second during the baking process.
The first reaction takes place when you add the baking powder to the batter and it is moistened. One of the acid salts reacts with the baking soda and produces carbon dioxide gas. The second reaction takes place when the batter is placed in the oven. The gas cells expand causing the batter to rise. Because of the two stages, baking of the batter can be delayed for about 15-20 minutes without it losing its leavening power.
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate is about four times as strong as baking powder. Baking soda starts to react and release carbon dioxide gas as soon as it is added to the batter and moistened, so you will not want to mix your batter and let it sit on the counter. Bake it immediately.
Single-acting baking powder reacts with a water-based ingredient to form bubbles as soon as the ingredients are mixed. If you wait too long to bake or mix it too long these bubbles will escape and your cakes will fall flat.
Double-acting baking powder produces some bubbles when the ingredients are mixed, but most of the rising occurs once heat is applied.
Substitution for 1 teaspoon single acting baking powder: 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar plus 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch.
Baking Powder will lose it’s power eventually, so to check if it is still good, add a teaspoonful to a half cup of boiling water. If it boils rapidly, the baking powder is still good.
How Do I Substitute Between Baking Powder and Baking Soda? You will use 2-3 times more baking powder than baking soda. The extra ingredients in the baking powder will have an effect on the taste of whatever you are making, but this isn’t necessarily bad. Eliminate the salt in the recipe if you are subbing in baking powder for soda.
So, if the recipe called for 1 tsp baking soda, you would use 3 tsp baking powder.
Baking Soda & Powder- 1 teaspoon= 5g
My cheesecake called for cornstarch and I put 2 tbsp of baking power.it didn’t call for baking powerdidnt notice until after in the over.what will happened?so dumb.
Uh oh, that’s not a good idea! 😀
Hey it’s me again over here on this post- having just found this break-down I totally needed! Thank so much
I use Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer when making brownies. Is baking powder or baking soda necessary in vegan brownies?
Eggs in traditional brownie recipes help in binding as well as rising, so I always add a bit more leavener when I replace the eggs
CLICK HERE for my Brownies recipes if you would like to compare with the recipes you are currently using
I read an article that said to make enough leavening to keep a vegan cake light and have it rise (even in the middle) you should mix 2 tbsp water with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp baking powder. That seems like a lot of baking powder that might make the cake bitter. What do you think? I’m trying to make a dinosaur cake for my allergic grandson and it keeps falling in the center. I’ve tried 3 recipes already. Thanks!
HI Rita, it’s really hard to be so general with this, which is why I would frown on an article like that. They are generalizing vegan baking into “all cake is created equal” and this is simply not true. But aside from that, as you mention that IS alot of baking powder! Like an incredible amount!!! So yes you are correct, it WILL most definitely make the cake bitter!
Vegan cakes tend to be on the more dense / moist side already and depending on what the egg replacer in your particular recipe that is going to make a major difference in the outcome, so just say “add a load of more baking powder to what is already in the recipe, and some more fat (oil) and water too (soggy!) Is bad information *in my humble opinion!
I am not sure who you like to go to for your recipes, but I would suggest to just stick with what the author has written as we like to hope they have tested and developed a perfect recipe that needs to more altering.
If you don’t yet have that “someone” You came to the right place!!
All of my recipes are tried & true and work great! I also provide personal assistance to help troubleshoot recipes (my recipes) to make sure you have NO FAIL results everytime. If there is an ingredient you cant get (or dont want to use) that I have listed- I also help there.
So I would suggest for you and your Dino Cake
My Best Vanilla Cake recipe- CLICK HERE
Otherwise if you are CARVING the cake?? CLICK HERE for a more dense, less fluffy pound cake style cake that carves like a dream!
OR For chocolate cake CLICK HERE
I can taste the baking soda in most of the recipes that call for it. I really prefer baking powder . In your yellow cake it says to use 1 tsp baking soda with 3 tsp baking powder but I still taste it. How can I complete eliminate the baking soda?