(a) What is baking powder? How does it make the cake soft and spongy?(b) In addition to sodium hydrogen carbonate, baking powders contain a substance $X$ . Name the substance $X$ . What is the role of substance $X$ in the baking powder? (2024)

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(a) What is baking powder? How does it make the cake soft and spongy?(b) In addition to sodium hydrogen carbonate, baking powders contain a substance $X$ . Name the substance $X$ . What is the role of substance $X$ in the baking powder? ›

(a) Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and tartaric acid. When mixed with water the sodium hydrogen carbonate(baking soda) reacts with tartaric acid, as a result, carbon dioxide gas is liberated. This carbon dioxide is trapped in wet dough and bubbles out slowly making the cake soft and spongy.

Baking powder is mixed with the flour. When water is added to this flour to make dough, baking powder undergoes a chemical reaction during which carbon dioxide gas is produced. This carbon dioxide gas gets trapped into the dough and bubbles out which causes the cake to rise making it soft and spongy.

(b) Substance X is tartaric acid. It reacts with the sodium carbonate formed and neutralizes it otherwise the bread/dough will taste bitter. Q.

Carbon dioxide is released when baking soda is added to cake and this makes the cake to rise making them soft and spongy.

Baking powder is a dry chemical leavening agent, a mixture of a carbonate or bicarbonate and a weak acid. The base and acid are prevented from reacting prematurely by the inclusion of a buffer such as cornstarch. Baking powder is used to increase the volume and lighten the texture of baked goods.

It is used for increasing the volume and lightening the texture of baked goods. It releases carbon dioxide gas into a batter or dough through an acid-base reaction, causes bubbles in the wet mixture which expands and thereby leavening the mixture.

As with baking soda, the purpose of baking powder is to create air bubbles that give your baked goods their light, airy texture. There are two types of baking powder: single action and double action. Single action baking powder creates the carbon dioxide bubbles upon contact with moisture, similar to baking soda.

The mixture could be too soft due to not enough ingredients or if there is too much liquid added. Using too much raising agents can make the cake rise too much too quickly and it implodes on itself. It can often also be to do with the baking oven that you have used.

The reaction of baking soda or baking powder with the liquids in the batter releases carbon dioxide, which forms air bubbles to help your cakes be light and airy.

What does bake powder do? ›

Baking is a technique while setting powder is a product that you use to bake and set the face. Baking differs from just setting for face with powder because more powder is used and it's left on the skin for five to ten minutes to use the heat from your body to set your makeup for a long-lasting, crease-free finish.

Simply, without these leaveners, many cookies would fall flat and cake layers would be dense and stodgy. But baking powder and soda are not interchangeable, and if you're out of one, the other won't act as a direct substitute (though it can be part of the solution—more on that below).

Both baking powder and baking soda are leavening agents that are commonly used in baking. They help baked goods rise, which in turn gives them a light and fluffy texture. However, they do have distinct characteristics and applications.

Baking soda and baking powder are not the same and cannot be used interchangeably. Baking soda reacts to the acid in a recipe, while baking powder reacts to liquid and heat. Baking soda changes the texture of baked goods by causing a batter or dough to spread, while baking powder produces light, fluffy texture.

Therefore, a powder added while baking bread and cakes to make them fluffy and soft is baking powder.