Can You Bake A Cake Without Baking Powder?
If you’ve ever baked a cake before, you’ll know that baking powder is essential to the process. It helps to create an airy cake that’s fluffy.
Baking powder is an essential ingredient in many recipes because it makes cakes and cookies rise and stay moist.
But if you’re looking for a way to bake without using baking powder, there is a way to do it. In fact, it’s possible to bake a cake without baking powder at all.
Yes, it’s possible! You can make a fluffy cake that does not use baking powder. The lack of baking powder is done to maintain the moisture in the perfect cake.
So if you want to try baking a cake without baking powder, keep on reading!
What happens if you make a cake without baking powder?
Baking powder is a leavening agent. It causes air to be trapped in the batter, which causes the light cake to rise.
So if there is no baking powder, there will be no air trapped in the batter and the cake will not rise. So the cake will be flat.
The good news is that this method works with most batters. However, some batters work better than others when baked without baking powder.
Some type of cake need more time to develop their structure so they are best left out of this technique.
The most important thing here is to prepare your batter correctly and properly so that when you add water, oil or egg, everything turns into a lovely smooth mixture.
When making cake layer with no baking powder, I recommend adding about 2 tablespoons of vinegar per cup of flour. This will help to get rid of lumps in the dough while keeping it tender.
Cake recipe without baking powder
Here’s how to get started if you want to bake a beautiful sponge layer cakes without using baking powder.
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
6 Tablespoons butter
8 Tablespoon milk
2 Eggs white only
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees.
2. Grease two 8 inch round pans.
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, vanilla extract, eggs white and butter. Beat until blended.
4. Add milk slowly and beat just enough to blend. Sift flour.
5. Gradually fold in flour. Pour evenly between prepared pans.
Note: Do not fill the above rim of each pan.
6. Bake 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
7. Cool 10 minutes, then remove from pans. Let cool completely on wire racks.
Tip 1: To keep your finished product soft, frost only after cooling.
Tip 2: Store leftovers tightly covered in refrigerator up to 3 days.
This step is optional but recommended. When the batter reaches around 5 inches high, cover the tops of the type of cake with foil and continue baking for 20 additional minutes.
Remove foils and let sit 15 minutes before removing from pans.
What can you use instead of baking powder?
If you want to know what you can use instead of baking powder, check out this list below.
1. Xanthan gum
If you’re looking to bake a delicious cake mix without using baking powder, however, there’s a solution. Instead of using baking powder, try making use of xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum is a natural carbohydrate found in corn and can be used as a substitute for baking powder. The benefits of using xanthan gum to replace baking powder are many.
First off, you won’t need much of it. Second, it doesn’t leave behind any nasty aftertaste. And finally, it creates a moist and tender cake with no eggs.
To make sure you have adequate amounts, simply follow these steps.
- First, mix one part xanthan gum with three parts warm liquid.
- Then add another part of xanthan gum to the remaining ingredients and whisk them thoroughly.
- Now put the batter through an electric mixer at low speed for five seconds. That should do it!
You’ll notice a thicker consistency and less volume in the batter because of the extra xanthan gum.
2. Baking soda
Another way to bake a tasty cake without baking powder would be by replacing some of the baking soda with bicarbonate of soda.
Why is that? It’s easy to find, cost effective, easily stored, and can be used in many recipes. Baking soda is also healthier than baking powder.
Although both forms of baking soda contain sodium bicarbonate, they differ in quality. One has been processed further than the other; strengthening it and more effective.
It also allows for better expansion during cooking. However, it produces a slightly sour taste.
The best substitution ratio will depend on what kind of flavour profile you prefer. If you like sweet flavours, increase the amount of baking soda over that of regular baking soda.
However, if you’d rather avoid this strong acidity and opt for something milder, reduce the baking soda proportionally.
It may take some trial-and-error testing to find the right balance, so don’t worry about getting everything perfect the first time.
3. Vinegar
Acidic foods create flat cakes, which isn’t ideal when trying to achieve a fluffy texture. For this reason, vinegar could prove useful for creating a lighter crumbly top layer.
Many people think that adding vinegar to baked goods makes them soggy, it actually improves their structure by producing carbon dioxide bubbles that help give rise to air pockets.
These tiny gas cells provide lift and allow for lightness. In order to ensure success, start slow.
Start with only 1/4 cup per batch or even less. As your ratios get higher, you might end up having too much liquid in your batter. This could cause lumps.
In fact, it wouldn’t hurt to consider reducing the quantity of fat and sugar either. These two components contribute to moisture retention within your recipe.
Vinegar works well when combined with milk or water.
When experimenting, keep in mind how quickly the acids react. While lemon juice works fast, apple cider vinegar takes longer to actuate.
Wait until the last minute before combining the liquids in your mixture. Be careful not to let it boil, as this will cause the alcohol to evaporate.
4. Honey
Honey contains enzymes that break down starches into sugars. When mixed with flour, honey helps prevent gluten from forming and prevents doughs from developing tough textures.
This means that you won’t have to rely on eggs alone to hold together your batters.
It’s also important to note that while it doesn’t affect the final product itself, honey is safe for consumption by diabetics because of its natural sweetness level.
If you’re looking for a substitute for butter in recipes that call for it, try substituting half the total amount of oil for equal quantities of honey.
Is baking powder necessary for cake?
Baking powder is necessary for cake because it reacts with acidic ingredients and forms tiny air bubbles, lightening the texture and making the cake cool rise.
Baking powder is still commonly used today, but there are plenty of reasons one would want to omit it.
One major factor is cost. Many modern commercial brands now come at prices comparable to those of plain salt and pepper.
There’s no need to spend extra money just because someone forgot to add the key ingredient!
Most baking powders contain boric acid and phosphorous pentoxide. The combination ensures that they do exactly what they say: produce carbon dioxide, thus expanding gases trapped inside the batter.
The problem arises when these two compounds become inactive after being exposed to heat during baking. That is where things can go wrong.
Importance of baking powder
If you’ve never used baking powder before, then here are 5 reasons you should add it to your pantry today
1. It gives cakes more volume.
You’ll notice that all-natural airy sponge cake is lighter than store bought ones. This happens because most chemical leavening agents don’t expand like baking soda does.
Instead, they simply release CO₃² which causes the expansion. Since CO₃² has a lower specific weight compared to other common gases such as nitrogen and oxygen, it leaves behind a space once it escapes.
2. It keeps cakes moist.
Many people believe that adding baking powder makes their sponge cakes dryer. In reality, however, some types of baking powder actually help reduce drying time since they provide additional humidity levels.
3. They make cakes rise better.
Many people think that rising is caused solely by yeast, baking powder plays a role as well.
Its reaction with both fats and proteins creates gas pockets that trap steam, giving the surface area needed for the bread to swell outwards.
In addition, sodium aluminum sulphate may form a protective barrier around the starch granules, preventing them from reacting too quickly with water.
4. It lets tall cake stay fresh longer.
Because it works so fast, baking powder loses effectiveness. However, if left undisturbed, it can keep baked goods fresher for up to three months or even longer.
5. It improves flavour and keeps moisture.
When you bake something using no kind of leavening agent, the result will typically taste flat. Adding baking powder brings back the fullness and richness missing from fluffier cake batter.
Since baking powder expands rather slowly, it allows you to use less liquid to get similar results. For example, instead of having to beat 1 cup of flour into a wet mixture, you only have to beat 2 tablespoons worth.