Question

For making cake, baking powder is taken. If at home your mother uses baking soda instead of baking powder in cake.

1. How will it affect the taste of the cake and why ?
2. How can baking soda be converted into baking powder ?
3. What is the role of tartaric acid added to baking soda ?

Answer 1

1. The advantage of using baking powder is that tartaric acid present in baking powder reacts with sodium carbonate $\left({\text{Na}}_2{\text{CO}}_3\right)$ produced during decomposition of ${\text{NaHCO}}_3$ and neutralises it. if only sodium hydrogen carbonate (baking soda) is used in making cake, then sodium carbonate formed from it by the action of heat (during baking) will give a bitter taste to cake.
2. By adding tartaric acid to baking soda we can form baking powder.
3. Tartaric acid neutralises the sodium carbonate formed during decomposition of ${\text{NaHCO}}_3$ hence, making the cake tasty and not bitter in taste.