{"id":23051,"date":"2015-01-09T10:38:22","date_gmt":"2015-01-09T15:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/?p=23051"},"modified":"2017-03-28T07:40:43","modified_gmt":"2017-03-28T11:40:43","slug":"how-baking-powder-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2015\/01\/how-baking-powder-works.html","title":{"rendered":"How Does Baking Powder Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Our contributor, Summer Stone of <strong><a title=\"Cake Paper Party\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cakepaperparty.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cake Paper Party<\/a><\/strong>, is back today with a new baking science experiment&#8230;.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23054\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do-400x600.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The difference between a dense pound cake and a fluffy butter cake is often a factor of leavening.\u00a0 While chemical agents such as baking powder or baking soda play an important role in the leavening process, mechanical mechanisms as well as the physical makeup of the batter also contribute to the final structure of the cake.<\/p>\n<p>So what exactly is leavening?\u00a0 Leavening is defined as a rising agent, a substance that is used to make a dough (or batter) rise.\u00a0 In a cake, the following physical, mechanical or chemical mechanisms lead to enlightenment:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Physical leavening capitalizes on the ingredients in a batter.\u00a0 Liquids from dairy, eggs and other ingredients contribute a great deal to cake expansion in the presence of heat.\u00a0 When water vaporizes into steam it expands to 1,600 times the volume of its liquid form.\u00a0 This pushes the cake upward into a fluffier form.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Mechanical leavening occurs during the creaming, stirring, beating or folding processes;\u00a0 it is not only necessary to work air into the batter but the air cells must also be modified to a size that will yield the best crumb.\u00a0 Mechanical leavening is critical in a cake batter.\u00a0 While steam and chemical leavening agents serve to expand air cells, they cannot create them.\u00a0 Therefore, all the rise of a cake must begin in a \u201cseeded\u201d air pocket.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Chemical leavening in cake involves the reaction of an acid and a base in the presence of water that result in the release of carbon dioxide gas.\u00a0 The base or alkaline agent is typically baking soda.\u00a0 The acid can come from ingredients in the batter or another chemical.\u00a0 In baking powder, a balance of baking soda and acids self-generate a leavening reaction.\u00a0 A combination of acids, which react either immediately during the mixing process or are activated by the heat of the oven, allow for maximization of cake expansion.\u00a0 Varying the type and amount of chemical leavening agent can have significant effects on the final product.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23055\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To illustrate the effects of varying amounts of chemical leavening, I baked four cakes with varying measures of baking powder in a neutral cake batter.\u00a0 In a recipe that would yield a three-layer, 8-inch diameter cake I added either no baking powder, 1 teaspoon, 3 teaspoons or 6 teaspoons baking powder.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23059\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_5.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_5.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_5-400x280.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The cake with no baking powder was short and dense with a tight crumb.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23057\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_3.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_3.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_3-400x280.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23058\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_4.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"420\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_4.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_4-400x280.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The cakes with 1 or 3 teaspoons of baking powder were varied degrees of lighter in texture, but still maintained reasonable crumb strength.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23060\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_6.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_6.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_6-400x285.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The 6 teaspoon baking powder cake was very light but the large air cell size resulted in a weak, over-expanded structure that did not cut cleanly or hold together well.\u00a0 The alternate effect of over leavening a cake is excess rise during baking leading to poor infrastructure and eventual collapse to a sunken state.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-23055\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1.jpg\" alt=\"How Baking Powder Affects Your Recipes |  a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/what_does_baking_powder_do_1-400x267.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Mixing, formulation and leavening additives all contribute to the rise of a cake.\u00a0 By varying mixing methods, recipe constituents and type and volume of leaveners you can modify the degree of density or fluffiness in your cake.\u00a0 I hope you can try some variations in your own recipes in order to produce your own optimal result.<\/p>\n<p>Happy baking!<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Now read my article, <strong><a title=\"Mixing Up The Perfect Cake\" href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/08\/mixing-up-the-perfect-cake.html\">Mixing Up The Perfect Cake<\/a><\/strong>.<br \/>\nSee exactly how long to mix butter and sugar together!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/08\/mixing-up-the-perfect-cake.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21676 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/cake_baking_tip_intro_2.jpg\" alt=\"Mixing Up the Perfect Cake | Exactly how long to mix butter and sugar? | Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com \" width=\"600\" height=\"897\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/cake_baking_tip_intro_2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/cake_baking_tip_intro_2-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/cake_baking_tip_intro_2-400x598.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Next see <strong><a title=\"Does Sifting Make a Better Cake\" href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/08\/sifting-for-a-better-cake.html\">If Sifting Makes a Better Cake<\/a><\/strong>.<br \/>\nI think you&#8217;ll be surprised by my results!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/08\/sifting-for-a-better-cake.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21638 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/sift_vs_whisk_71.jpg\" alt=\"True or False?  Does Sifting Make a Better Cake?  |  Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"910\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/sift_vs_whisk_71.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/sift_vs_whisk_71-396x600.jpg 396w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">And don&#8217;t miss my article, <strong><a title=\"Easy to make Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe\" href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/06\/no-meringue-swiss-buttercream-recipe.html\">The Meringue Buttercream Myth<\/a><\/strong>!<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s a unique new way to make Swiss Meringue Butterceam.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/06\/no-meringue-swiss-buttercream-recipe.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21397 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/meringue_buttercream_myth_intro.jpg\" alt=\"Breaking the Meringue Buttercream Myth | a new approach to a classic recipe | by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/meringue_buttercream_myth_intro.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/meringue_buttercream_myth_intro-387x600.jpg 387w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Now check out the <strong><a title=\"Reverse Creaming Method\" href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/11\/reverse-creaming-method.html\">Reverse Creaming Method<\/a><\/strong><br \/>\nand see what it can do for your cake recipes!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/2014\/11\/reverse-creaming-method.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-22288 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/reverse-creaming-method-int1.jpg\" alt=\"The Reverse Creaming Method and what it can do for your cakes | a Baking Science article by Summer Stone for TheCakeBlog.com\" width=\"600\" height=\"930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/reverse-creaming-method-int1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/reverse-creaming-method-int1-387x600.jpg 387w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our contributor, Summer Stone of Cake Paper Party, is back today with a new baking science experiment&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p>The difference between a dense pound cake and a fluffy butter cake is often a factor of leavening.  While chemical agents such as baking powder or baking soda play an important role in the leavening process, mechanical mechanisms as well as the physical makeup of the batter also contribute to the final structure of the cake.  So what exactly is leavening? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[216,295,262],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23051","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-baking-tips","8":"category-blog","9":"category-summer-stone","10":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23051"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23065,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23051\/revisions\/23065"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thecakeblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}