What does the baking soda / vinegar mixture do to a red velvet cake?!


Question:

What does the baking soda / vinegar mixture do to a red velvet cake?

The last step is to dissolve 1 tsp baking soda in 1 Tbsp vinegar, pour mixture on top of batter, then mix well.

How does this effect the cake?
Are all cakes made this way?
This is the first cake I've made from scratch, so I really don't understand how this works.


Answers:

Vinegar (acetic acid) + baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)= CO2 (carbon dioxide gas) and like the respondent before me said, this gas is what leavens the cake or causes it to rise. Baking soda ALWAYS interacts w/ acids, usually fruit acids, in a recipe. Baking powder interacts more w/ the moisture and heat created by the baking process. Baking powder actually has some sodium bicarbonate in it, as well as at least 3 other ingredients. NO, not all cakes contain baking soda. Most of them contain baking powder, and NO, the two are NEVER interchangeable. I've made red velvet cake before. This is standard procedure, so don't deviate from it, especially since it's your first time. Red Velvet Cake is traditionally VERY moist and delicious, so you should be quite alright. Don't worry. Breathe and trust. Just use the pan size they tell you to in your recipe, line it w/ a circle of waxed paper traced from the edge of the cake pan, and cut to fit in it, and make sure your oven runs true to temperature. Last of all: DO NOT open the door during the baking process as THIS is what causes cakes to fall. If you do need to check on it, do that within the LAST 5 minutes of the minimum baking time listed. Also, be sure all your ingredients are fresh, especially the baking soda and flour as the cake may/will fail if the leavening agents are old.




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