Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda

You can be forgiven for once thinking that Baking Soda and Baking Powder were the same thing. If you were ever tempted to substitute one for the other, do not be fooled, here are the differences to help you become a better baker.

Baking Soda (also known as Bicarbonate of Soda)

Baking Soda is an alkali agent that helps to raise your sponge. It needs something both liquid and acidic to kick start the process. Interestingly enough, Baking Soda is also an ingredient found within Baking "Powder" and once in the oven it can speed up the browning process, causing your cakes go golden-brown on top. Be careful when measuring Baking Soda, as it can leave a tangy aftertaste if used too much.

Baking powder

Baking Powder has become ever-more popular and is an ingredient called upon in many recipes nowadays. It actually contains a certain amount of Baking “Soda”, but unlike Baking Soda is does not need an acidic added to it and can rely on moisture alone to get it working. It is commonly used in cake making and has a neutral taste to it.

What they DO have in common is that both are leavening agents and once combined with wet ingredients, it is important to get cake mixtures into the oven as soon as possible. It is worth noting, Baking Soda is 4x stronger than Baking Powder, so where one recipe may call for 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder, the other recipe may need just ¼ teaspoon of the Soda stuff. Some recipes may even ask for both, to produce a more perfecting balance, like my Peanut Butter Cookies and White Chocolate Lime Cookies.

Why did my cake crack?

Looking back on a few archived cake photos, I noticed a sponge that I'd made that had pretty noticeable cracks on its surface. It didn't bother me at the time, as I went on to feature its photo in a post, but now, it really bugs me. Why did my cake crack like that?

Three things really:

•  My oven temperature was set too high, and the surface expanded faster than the inside, or
•  Too much baking powder was added, or
•  My cake was placed too high in the oven.

I think I did the latter one, most likely. As when I make a sponge, I have to fight for space for two tins to be next to each other in my oven. So maybe one tin went on the top shelf with the other tin in the middle. That's why they always say to "bake cake in the middle of a pre-heated oven". Middle.

Hints & Tips

To prevent the knife from sticking or tearing when cutting cakes, pies and tray bakes, simply dip your knife in a glass of warm water after each slice and dry both sides of the blade with a firm wipe of a clean towel.

Hints & Tips

Easily remove pies and cakes from loose bottomed cake tins by simply standing the tin on top of a can and sliding the sides down!