If you find yourself without baking powder, or baking power that’s older than you thought, the substitutes are easy!
Why Baking Powder is important in baked goods
The ingredients in baking powder consist of an alkaline (non acidic) item and one acidic item. Together they produce carbon dioxide gas which expands volume of batters making them rise. You definitely cannot bake without it which is why you need substitution for baking powder.
What is Baking Powder?
So what exactly is baking powder? It is a “leavening agent”. In other words it’s the the ingredient in your recipe that will make your baked item rise. The brand I use is Rumford, although it’s just a personal preference. It is also just one of the double acting baking powders available. Double acting means the compounds start interacting with recipe ingredients when mixed and further interact as it is heated during baking.
Substitutions for Baking Powder –
Plain Yogurt and Baking Soda – To replace one teaspoon of baking powder in your recipe use 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.
Molasses and Baking Soda – To replace one tsp of baking powder in your recipe use 1/4 cup molasses and 1/4 tsp baking soda. In this case you will want to reduce the amount of sugar in you recipe due to the sweetness of the molasses.
Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda – To replace one teaspoon of baking powder in your recipe use 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
White Vinegar and Baking Soda – To replace one tsp of baking powder in your recipe use 1/2 tsp of white vinegar and 1/4 tsp of baking soda.
One of my VERY favorite recipes is one from my childhood for Red Velvet Cake. Baking powder is NOT one of the ingredients. The leavening agents used in this cake are popular substitutes for baking powder – baking soda (alkaline) and vinegar (acid) as mentioned above.
I’ll share this vintage and DELICIOUS recipe with you at a later time. But you must PROMISE to only use the cooked flour frosting that was original to the recipe.
*THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY SUBSTITUTIONS WHEN BAKING *
Baking is an exact science of measurements. Please be aware that any added liquid must be accounted for in the overall recipe. This means that if you use 1/4 cup of liquid as a substitute you must reduce another liquid in the recipe by the same amount.