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What happens if we add too much baking powder?

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What happens if we add too much baking powder?

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What happens if we use too little baking powder?

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What happens if we use too little baking powder?

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What happens if we use too little flour?

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What happens if we use too little flour?

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What happens if we use too many sultanas?

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What happens if we use too many sultanas?

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What happens if we don't use enough sultanas?

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What happens if we don't use enough sultanas?

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What happens if we don't use enough eggs?

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What happens if we don't use enough milk?

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What happens if we don't use enough milk?

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What happens if we don't use enough butter?

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What happens if we don't use enough butter?

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Are you wondering what baking powder does to cakes and cookies? Find out everything you need to know about this essential ingredient in baking, like what baking powder is, how it's different from baking soda, the difference between single-acting and double-acting baking powder, how much baking powder you have to use when baking, does baking powder expire and how to check if it's still good, and even how to make homemade baking powder if you find you've run out.

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What is baking powder

Baking powder is a chemical leavening agent that combines sodium bicarbonate ( baking soda) and an acid (or even two acids!) in one single dry, white powder sold in grocery stores and bulk stores. Baking powder is an easy way to get your cakes to rise without having to whip egg whites like mad or without worrying about adding an acid to react with baking soda because everything you need to make a cake rise is in baking powder.

So, while when you add baking soda to a cake recipe, you'll notice that you also have to add an acidic ingredient (like vinegar, sour cream, buttermilk, etc), when you bake with baking powder, the acid is already present in the commercial powder. All you have to do is whisk (or sift) the baking powder with the rest of your dry ingredients. Easy peasy! This classic vanilla cake with milk chocolate frosting is a great example of a cake made with just baking powder.

How does baking powder work?

In order for baking powder to react and for your cakes to rise, the baking powder has to first come into contact with water. As a dry powder, baking powder is quite stable and the acid and the sodium bicarbonate don't react. It's not until the baking powder comes into contact with the liquids in your cake batters and cookie doughs that the baking powder begins to react.

Some baking powders won't react until the mixture is hydrated and heated. This is especially true of double-acting baking powders which first react at room temperature when mixed into cake batters and cookie doughs, but they react a second time when the batter or dough is placed in the oven to bake.

Actually, the ingredients in baking powder are essential for controlling when baking powder reacts. Think about it: if baking powder were to react as a dry powder in the container it's sold in, by the time you add it to your cake batters and cookie doughs, the baking powder would be spent and there wouldn't be much left behind but salts.

Ingredients in baking powder: baking powder comes as double-acting vs single-acting

While the general formula of baking powder can be summarized as baking soda plus an acid, there's actually more to baking powder than just this. Commercial baking powders also contain cornstarch to keep the baking powder from clumping and to keep it dry. This way the baking powder won't react before you use it. Furthermore, the acid in baking powder varies depending on the brand and whether or not the product is single-acting baking powder or double-acting baking powder.

What is single-acting baking powder?

Single-acting baking powders are made with only one acid, which reacts right away at room temperature when hydrated. Because single-acting baking powders are so fast-acting, they aren't sold commercially anymore.

An example of single-acting baking powder would be homemade baking powder made with cream of tartar. It reacts quickly at room temperature and over 70 % of single-acting baking powder reacts within minutes of mixing into cake batters. When you bake with a homemade baking powder, you have to work quickly so that the batter is mixed and baked immediately.

What is double-acting baking powder?

The baking powder I use is called Magic baking powder and it's produced by Kraft. Magic baking powder (like Rumford baking powder sold in the US) is made of cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium bicarbonate. The monocalcium phosphate is the acid that reacts with sodium bicarbonate to produce the gas carbon dioxide, which makes your cakes rise.

Though it seems as though Magic baking powder would be a single-acting baking powder because it contains only one acid, Magic powder is actually double-acting because it reacts in 2 stages: a portion reacts at room temperature when your batters are first mixed (under 60 % reacts at room temperature), then the rest reacts with heat, when you place your cakes and cookies in the oven. So Magic and Rumford react at two separate stages, which is why they are labelled as double-acting.

In the US, other double-acting baking powders include Davis baking powder, Kraft Calumet baking powder, and Clabber Girl baking powder. All these double-acting baking powders contain the same ingredients as Magic and Rumford baking powders, so cornstarch, monocalcium phosphate, and sodium bicarbonate, but Davis, Calumet, and Clabber Girl also contain a second acid sodium aluminum sulfate. This second acid is slow-acting and only reacts with sodium bicarbonate when the mixture is hydrated and heated.

The baking powder at Bulk Barn is labelled as double-acting, as is Fleischmann's baking powder. Both contain sodium acid pyrophosphate, as well as sodium bicarbonate, cornstarch and monocalcium phosphate. Note that sodium acid pyrophosphate is very slow-acting, but the down side to using it is that sodium acid pyrophosphate can impart a bitter aftertaste, which is why it's usually combined with other acids and used sparingly.

How to tell if your baking powder is double-acting or not?

To know if your baking powder is single-acting or double-acting, you will have to read the ingredient label to know for sure. The baking powder ingredient list will inevitably mention cornstarch and sodium bicarbonate. The other ingredients might only be monocalcium phosphate, in which case your baking powder is double-acting. Or the label might mention both monocalcium phosphate as well as sodium aluminum sulfate, in which case, your baking powder is double-acting as well.

Many brands will tell you on the front of the package if your baking powder is double-acting, and if the label just says "baking powder", you will have to check the ingredient list.

Why double-acting baking powder is useful in baking

Bakeries may depend on double-acting baking powder in their baked goods to ensure that cake batters (or muffin batters) that are made ahead of time can be stored in the refrigerator, but will still rise when the product is baked. The second acid ensures that if your batter waits around a little, your cakes will still have enough chemical leavener leftover to rise in the oven.

What happens if you add too much baking powder to a recipe?

How much baking powder is too much when you are baking? Is there such a thing? Did you accidentally add too much baking powder to your cake recipe? Find out the rule of thumb for how much baking powder to flour to add to your cake recipe.

Baking powder is an essential leavening agent in baking, for creating lighter cakes that aren't overly dense. Baking powder opens up the crumb of a cake giving cakes a lighter mouthfeel. But just like too much baking soda is a problem (causing cakes to brown too much, giving baked goods a soapy taste, toughening cakes, etc.), too much baking powder may cause textural issues in cakes, off flavours, and doesn't make a better cake. Make sure to use the right techniques for measuring ingredients in baking, especially small quantities of leaveners. Here's why.

Too much baking powder can give baked goods a sour or even bitter taste.

The right amount of baking powder may contribute a salty-sour taste to your baked goods, but too much can verge on bitter or "chemical" tasting. Be sure to measure baking powder carefully to avoid overdoing it.

Too much baking powder can cause bigger bubbles and holes in cakes

We add baking powders to cake to improve their texture and to lighten the crumb of the cake. But too much baking powder may cause too much gas to be released in your cake batter as it bakes, leading to larger bubble formation. Too much baking powder will cause large holes in your cakes which might even bubble up on the surface of the cake as it bakes. Too much baking powder can actually cause your cakes to sink or collapse on themselves leading to shorter cakes or sunken cakes. Overleavened cakes will puff and fall, sinking down into the pan before they've done baking. There's no recovering when this happens.

How much baking powder to use in cakes and other recipes: rule of thumb

To avoid adding too much baking powder to your cakes, start with this rule of thumb: add 1 to 1+¼ teaspoon baking powder (5 to 6.25 mL) for every 1 cup (125 grams or 250 mL) of all-purpose flour. In this classic vanilla cake with milk chocolate frosting, I use 2 teaspoon baking powder for 2 cups of flour (250 g). I use the same ratio for this Earl grey cake and this sesame raspberry cake, which are all variations of the same basic vanilla cake recipe.

Of course, the amount of baking powder you need to use will vary depending on the other ingredients in the recipe, which contribute to the total volume of the cake batter, its density, its moisture content, etc, which could mean you may need more or less baking powder than what the rule suggests.

Still, this rule of thumb is a good place to start if you are debating the ratio of how much baking powder to flour to add to your cake recipe. If you are making cookies, you might add little to no baking powder, and instead add a little baking soda. And don't forget to test your baking powder to check if your baking powder is still good.

Does baking powder expire and how to check if it's still good?

Baking powder is fairly shelf-stable, but did you know that baking powder does expire and can lose potency over time, especially if it's not properly stored? Find out why baking powder expires, how to check if it expires, and whether or not you should pay attention to the expiry date listed on baking powder.

Does baking powder expire?

Unlike baking soda, baking powder is a leavening agent that does lose potency over time, especially if it's not stored properly or if you live in a humid climate. Recall that baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate, an acid (or several acids), and cornstarch. The cornstarch in baking powder is there to help keep the mixture as dry and clump free as possible.

Though baking powder is pretty stable as a dry mix of powders, there's a risk that as you open and shut the container, baking powder will come into contact with tiny amounts of humidity. And when baking powder is hydrated, it will begin to react. Even a tiny amount of water in a container of baking powder will reduce its potency. Over time, the powder won't be worth much as a chemical leavener if the components have already reacted in the jar.

For these reasons, you should check your baking powder periodically and test your baking powder to make sure it's still good.

Expiry dates on baking powder packaging

If you read carefully label of your container of baking powder, somewhere on the packaging, you will notice an expiry date. But that doesn't mean that your baking powder, pre-expiry date, must still be good. If the container has been opened, you should check to make sure your baking powder is still good, regardless of what the date on the package says. And this goes for baking powders that are expired according to the expiry date on the package. The only way to know for sure is to test the baking powder before baking with it.

How to test baking powder to make sure it's still good

To test baking powder is still active, combine 1 teaspoon of baking powder with ⅓ cup of hot water. If the mixture fizzes, your baking powder is still reactive. Make sure that the water is HOT, not lukewarm or cold, since the acid in baking powders requires some heat to react fully.

Some may suggest even using boiling water and if you see nothing with hot water, I'd repeat the test once more but with boiling water. At that point, if you don't see any fizzing or bubbling, your baking powder is expired and you should replace it with a fresh container.

A positive result or a non-expired baking powder doesn't indicate potency

Unfortunately, though you can check to make sure your baking powder is still active, reactive, and not expired, we don't have an easy way at home to measure how potent the baking powder is. The fact is you can check to make sure baking powder is still reactive, but the test is QUALITATIVE, no QUANTITATIVE. We don't know how potent the baking powder is with the test above.

If your container of baking powder is expired according to the date on the label, or if it's been open for more than a year, you are better off replacing it with a new container.

If you didn't close the container properly to store your baking powder, you should replace it too. The potency of your baking powder is important so that you know how much baking powder to flour to add, so that you know you've added enough, not too much baking powder, and not too little.

Can you make baking powder?

You can't make baking soda at home, but you can make homemade baking powder! In a pinch, use this recipe for homemade baking powder if you find you've run out and don't have time to go to the store.

How to make baking powder at home?

Baking soda and baking powder are essential leavening agents that you should have on hand if you plan on baking. While you can't make baking soda at home, you can make baking powder from ingredients you have in your pantry. Remember that baking powder is baking soda plus an acid. And while commercial baking powders contain the acids monocalcium phosphate, sodium aluminum sulfate, and/or sodium acid pyrophosphate, you probably don't have any of these acid salts in your pantry.

The main dry acid that you most likely have at home if you bake and that you could use to make baking power is cream of tartar (i.e. tartaric acid, which is also known as potassium bitartrate). Cream of tartar is a white powder that you probably have used when making meringues for an italian meringue buttercream, or in egg-white based desserts like these chocolate pavlovas. And combined with baking soda and a little cornstarch, you have yourself some homemade baking powder. Here's the recipe.

Homemade baking powder recipe

To make a big batch of baking powder at home, whisk together 30 grams baking soda, 70 grams cream of tartar, and 15 grams of cornstarch. Note that you could skip the cornstarch if you are going to use the baking powder right away, but since you are making a big batch of homemade baking powder, you will be storing, so it must stay dry!

This recipe makes about 45 teaspoons of baking powder so you will want to store it in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid that has a good seal. And don't forget to label the jar and the lid so you don't forget what is in it! One more thing about homemade baking powder: you probably won't save much money making baking powder at home because cream of tartar tends to be quite expensive.

📖 Recipe

Homemade baking powder

How to store baking powder?

Given how fast-acting homemade baking powder is and given that baking powder will lose potency if exposed to moisture, it's important to store it in a cool, dry place, in an closed container that has a good seal to make sure moisture doesn't get in. Commercial baking powder is slower to react than homemade baking powder and so the baking powder you buy at the store is more stable and will stay potent for longer than homemade baking powder.

While it's good to know how to make baking powder at home if you run out of it at the last minute, I wouldn't depend on this recipe long term. You can check to make sure your baking powder is still good, but these tests aren't a measure of potency, so take the results with a grain of salt.

References

How Baking Works, 3rd edition. Paula Figoni. Buy it on Amazon

Bakewise. Shirley Corriher available on Amazon

On Baking: a textbook of baking & pastry fundamentals. Third edition update. Sarah R. Labensky, Priscilla A. Martel, Eddy Van Damme. Available on Amazon.

I'm Just Here for More Food. Alton Brown's baking book can be purchased from Amazon

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Are you wondering what baking powder does to cakes and cookies? Find out everything you need to know about this essential ingredient in baking, like what baking powder is, how it's different from baking soda, the difference between single-acting and double-acting baking powder, how much baking powder you have to use when baking, does baking powder expire and how to check if it's still good, and even how to make homemade baking powder if you find you've run out.

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All About Fat in Baking Lesson Overview:

Today we are talking about fat in all its forms and how it functions in baking. Fat is an essential part of what makes baked goods tender and moist, but it also plays some more scientific roles in how our baked goods rise.

Today we will review how solid fats and liquid fats function differently and all of the roles fats play in baking.

Watch the Video Lesson

Function of Fat in Baking

Richness, Flavor, and Moisture

The first role of fat in baking is to add richness, flavor, and moisture to baked goods. Baked goods with a lot of fat have a more luxurious mouthfeel and just taste better. Plain and simple.

Creates Tenderness

Fat is a powerful tenderizer in baking. As we discussed in the lesson on how gluten develops, fat serves to coat flour to act as a barrier between the proteins and water, slowing down gluten development.

Furthermore, fat actually works to shorten gluten strands. This is why something like a cinnamon roll, which is a yeast bread made with fat, is much more tender than a baguette, which is a yeast bread made without fat.

Helps with Leavening

Fat also plays an important role in leavening our baked goods. When solid fat is creamed with sugar it supports the web of air that is beaten into the two ingredients which lifts and leavens our baked goods.

Butter also contains a percentage of water that evaporates off when it is baked, creating lift. This is seen very evidently when making puff pastry. Puff pastry is made by folding the pastry in a way that creates alternating layers of dough and butter (this is called lamination) and the layers of butter do all of the leavening in the pastry.

Types of Fat

There are two categories of fat used in baking: Liquid fats and solid fat. Solid fats can always be melted into liquid fat form, but they do re-solidify when cooled so they function slightly differently than true liquid fats.

Types of Solid Fats

There are 3 main types of solid fats used in baking: butter, vegetable shortening, and lard. Coconut oil is also a solid fat that is gaining popularity in baking.

Butter

Butter is the most common type of solid fat used in baking because it adds great flavor to our baked goods and the presence of water in butter makes it great for assisting with leavening. Butter contains about 80-82% fat. You can read more in depth about butter and its role in baking here.

Note: Margarine is not a direct substitute for butter because it can contain as little as 35% fat which makes it function much differently than butter. If you do want to use margarine in your baking it is best to find recipes that are written specifically to be used with margarine.

Vegetable Shortening

Vegetable shortening is a hydrogenated fat made from vegetable oils. Shortening contains 100% fat which means it creates baked goods that are even more tender than baked goods made with butter and can also lead to less shrinking in the oven. A pie crust made with all shortening will shrink less than a pie crust made with all butter because of the water evaporating out of the butter crust.

Vegetable shortening also has a higher melting point than butter, around 118 F. Due to this, shortening leads to less spreading in baked goods like cookies. This is because the cookie has time to set before the fat melts and spreads out. While this can be desirable for creating really thick cookies, the downside of shortening is that it can leave a really greasy mouthfeel. Where butter literally melts in your mouth, (melting point around 90-95F) shortening does not.

Lard

Lard is rendered pig fat and was widely used until the mid 20th century when vegetable shortening was developed and lard was advertised to be a less healthy option. Lard is also 100% fat, so it functions similarly to vegetable shortening though it has a lower melting point which makes it more desirable in baking.

Leaf lard is a snowy white form of lard that is extremely mild in flavor. High quality leaf lard is very difficult to find and typically needs to be ordered online, however it makes the absolute best biscuits in the world. You can read more about lard and how to render your own here.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a solid fat with an extremely low melting point, so it is sort of on the edge between solid and liquid fats in the way it functions. Coconut oil has a melting point around 76 F, which is the lowest of all of the solid fats. But it can be creamed with sugar and does solidify so it falls in the solid fat category.

Types of Liquid Fats

Liquid fats are all of your oils. For baking you want to use a neutral flavored oil like canola oil, vegetable oil, or grapeseed oil. Olive oil is not desirable for baking, unless it is specifically called for, because it is very flavorful and can be off putting.

All oils function the same in baking as they are 100% fat. The main function of liquid fats (oils) is to add richness and tenderness, and because they do not solidify when cooled they create baked goods that are more tender than baked goods made with solid fats.

Oils cannot help with leavening, because they do not become solid, and therefore are typically not a good substitute for solid fats. All solid fats can be substituted for liquid fats by melting them first, however keep in mind that because the fat will solidify when cooled it will create slightly different final results.

Homework for this Lesson

As always, the homework is optional but is a good way to practice. For this lesson I want you to compare how solid fats and liquid fats function slightly differently. To do this, I want you to make 2 small batches of my easy drop biscuits. One batch will be made with solid fat and the other will be made with liquid fat. You can make both batches at the same time to compare the two. Each type is delicious, but the resulting texture is definitely different. The recipe for this assignment is below.

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All About Fat and its Function in Baking

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Today we are talking about fat in all its forms and how it functions in baking. Fat is an essential part of what makes baked goods tender and moist, but it also plays some more scientific roles in how our baked goods rise.

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Function of Flour in Baking, Differences in Varieties of Flour | Baker Bettie

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Learn the function of flour in baking, and the differences between white and whole wheat flour, bleached and unbleached flour, and all of the varieties of flour including: all purpose flour, bread flour, cake flour, self-rising flour, whole wheat flour, and pastry flour.

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