Remember that baking soda is 3-4 times stronger than baking powder, so you'll need a lot more baking powder to get the same leavening action. As a general rule, triple the amount of baking powder for the amount of baking soda called for in a recipe. For example, 1 teaspoon baking soda = 3 teaspoons baking powder.
Good rule of thumb: I usually use around 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup of flour in a recipe. Baking soda CAN leaven a baked good when exposed to heat. However, unless it is neutralized with an acid, your finished baked good will likely have a metallic aftertaste—like I mention above.
In a word, no. Because baking soda needs an acid with which to react and baking powder already contains it, they can't be used in place of each other, at least not without making other adjustments to the recipe.
A good rule of thumb, according to Corriher, is that 1 cup of flour can be leavened by ¼ teaspoon baking soda or 1 to 1¼ teaspoons of baking powder.
Too much baking soda is clearly not a good thing, creating too many bubbles in cakes, causing cakes to sink, leading to over-browning, and producing an off-flavour that might even be soapy.
Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.
Many recipes need both kinds of reactions to achieve the intended overall balance of flavor and texture, which is why you'll often see both baking soda and baking powder in a recipe. Even though the ingredients are both adding air during the baking process, they're complements, not substitutes.
So if a recipe calls for 250g of self-raising flour, and you only have plain, you need 5% of that 250g to be baking powder. That's 12.5g of baking powder. So 12.5g BP added to 237.5g plain flour makes 250g stand-in self-raising flour.
Use of baking soda while baking or making cake, makes the cake taste bitter due to the formation of Sodium carbonate during heating. Hence, to neutralize the formed sodium carbonate and its bitter taste, we use tartaric acid. As an acid tartaric acid neutralizes the base effect of Sodium bicarbonate.
Valerio explains that baking soda requires an acidic ingredient to activate its chemical reaction that helps rising. Baking powder already has the acidic ingredient. Switching these two will result in an undesirable taste. If baking soda is used instead of baking powder, there will be a bitter taste.
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.
Baking soda when treated with acids, produces hydrogen gas that provides fluffiness to the cakes.
Baking soda and baking powder are common baking ingredients. They are both leavening agents, meaning they help baked goods to rise.
Using Baking Powder
For even distribution throughout the batter, baking powder should be sifted with the flour or other dry ingredients. For most cakes, about 5% baking powder to the weight of the flour produces an optimum result.
How much baking powder should be added to plain flour to make self-raising flour? The answer is 1 tsp of baking powder per 100g of plain flour.
Sift 2 teaspoons of baking powder through every 1 cup / 150 g / 6 ounces of plain (all purpose) flour. It's important to sift the baking powder through the plain flour using a sieve so that it is evenly dispersed and ensures that your baked goods rise evenly. What is this?
If you have a baking recipe that calls for baking soda, and you only have baking powder, you may be able to substitute, but you will need 2 or 3 times as much baking powder for the same amount of baking soda to get the same amount of leavening power, and you may end up with something that's a little bitter tasting, ...
If you don't have baking soda on hand, you can substitute with baking powder—just use three times as much baking powder as baking soda in the recipe. For example, if a recipe calls for one teaspoon of baking soda, use three teaspoons of baking powder.
How much baking soda is too much? Adults who are not pregnant can mix about half a teaspoon (tsp) of baking soda with at least half a cup of water to relieve temporary indigestion. However, the NCPC recommend using OTC indigestion products, such as Tums, rather than making at-home remedies.
Notes. Do not let the baked baking soda come in contact with your skin, as it is a caustic substance. If you do make contact with the baked baking soda, flush the area thoroughly with water.
It should be verified that the sugar is fully dissolved in the batter (sugar granules may cause to the black dots on the surface) and that the PentaCake is fully dispersed in the batter (the leavening agents in the PentaCake may lead to brownish spots in the cake interior, if they are not mixed well in the batter).
Once a box of baking soda is opened, it has a shelf life of about six months to a year. If you happen to find an unopened box, chances are it may still be good even if it's past the expiration date (generally about 18 months from the time it went on sale).