Can you substitute baking powder for baking soda and what kind of flour do you use to make a cake?

Question

Can you substitute baking powder for baking soda and what kind of flour do you use to make a cake?

Answer 1

Baking powder and baking soda are both chemical leavening agents. Baking soda is an alkaline compound that reacts with acidic compounds (such as buttermilk or sour milk) in the cake recipe and this reaction produces carbon dioxide which raises the cake. Baking powder contains baking soda and an acid in the form of salt crystals that are water soluble.  Dry starch is also added to prevent the baking powder from having a reaction with humid air conditions. If you use baking powder you do not need an acid to create the carbon dioxide-it already has the acid in it. With baking soda, you do need an acidic compound in the recipe. So, the ingredients in the recipe are what determines whether you use baking powder or baking soda. Cake flour is used in cakes when a tender and fine-textured crumb is desired; cake flour is a soft wheat flour with cornstarch added to it. The regular white all-purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat flours that are meant for use in different kinds of foods. It all depends on how you want your cake to turn out as to what kind of flour you prefer.

Answer 2

No No NO! 1 is used to make flour rise and the other is used to cut down on the acid. Most people use white flour.

Answer 3

Baking Powder is baking soda with corn starch and tartaric acid.  It's way to complicated to do substitutions so I suggest you just go buy some baking powder.  There are many types of flour and if you have All Purpose that would be ok but the best is cake flour which has more protein in it and turns out a more tender product.

Answer 4

Baking powder and baking soda are different even though they both make dough rise.

It wouldn't be bad if you substitued it; nobody would really notice.

All purpose flour is what most people use. Some people throw in some cornstarch.

Answer 5

baking powder is baking soda with corn starch.  You'll need to use 1.5 to 2 times as much powder as soda.  I use regular flour, but have not had a recipe for cake using cake flour.

Answer 6

No, baking powder and baking soda are very different things.  And you can use pretty much any kind of flour you want, but most people prefer white flour.