If you’re anyone who does any home baking chances are you have a few staples at hand at all times. Baking powder is one of them.  Before I share an astonishing fact that I learned about baking powder, I want to take a moment to discuss the difference between baking powder and baking soda.

The difference between baking powder and baking soda

Both are leavening agents, meaning they help baked good get fluffy. They do, however, have slightly different properties to them. 

Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, needs the presence of an acid and a liquid in order to activate.  That’s why when you are making something like pancakes, muffins, coffee cake, etc, you’ll find the recipe calls for something like buttermilk or lemon juice. And if you don’t have buttermilk you can make a mock buttermilk by adding vinegar, I use apple cider vinegar, to milk and letting it sit for a couple of minutes to curdle.

Baking powder, on the other hand, is a complete leavening agent by itself, no acidic ingredient required.  Double acting powder simply means the baking powder reacts twice. There’s a 70% rise while you are mixing the batter and a further 30% that occurs during baking. While there is such a thing as single acting baking powder, that tends to be used in only in commercial baking. 

Why use both? 

Chances are you’ve noticed that some recipes may call for both baking soda and baking powder.  Now that you know they’re both leavening agents you may be wondering why.  It turns out that sometimes having both will help balance out your recipe a little better. Because baking soda tends to neutralize acids, using them to make your baked goods rise, you may still want a little tangy flavor, so adding baking powder helps with the rise without diminishing the acidity. 

Baking soda, has another neat feature, it can help baked good get their golden color when baking.  So a little bit can improve the visual appeal of whatever you’re making.  

Who makes baking powder?

There are a number of different brands of baking powder on the market. Recently, however, I learned that multiple brands of baking powder are made by the same company. This only highlights something I talk about all the time, if a company buys another company often they do not change the name of the brand. With baking powder it turns out the four top brands are all made by Clabber Girl Corporation. (all of the ingredient information below comes from their website).

Going in alphabetical order…

Clabber Girl is one of the most popular baking powder brands in the US. It is certified Kosher. The ingredients are Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate. The label clearly states that this product does contain a bioengineered food ingredient - presumably this is the corn.

Davis Baking Powder is also certified as Kosher and its ingredients are Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate. Again on the label there is a notice that this product contains a bioengineered food ingredient.

Royal Baking Powder is another Kosher baking powder and is made with Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Monocalcium Phosphate. This product also is identified as having a bioengineered food ingredient

Rumsford is another popular baking powder brand in the US. In an unusual twist, this was actually the first baking powder company. It started in the late 1880’s with the company eventually being sold to the Clabber Girl Corporation in the 1960’s.

Fun fact, there was a Count Rumsford, an honorary title from the Bavarian government bestowed on Benjamin Thompson who was the benefactor of the man who invented double acting baking powder, Eben Norton Horsford. 

Rumsford is the only Clabber Girl brand to be Non-GMO Project Verified. It is not a Kosher ingredient yet it’s the only one which is aluminum free. The ingredients are: Corn Starch, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate

There are other brands of baking powder, for example, Calumet, which is owned by Kraft Foods. They are however not GMO free, they do contain aluminum, and, for those for whom it is important, they are not listed as Kosher.

For many years, I have used Rumsford baking powder. I first began to use it when I became aware of the potential health issues from aluminum in our food. Over time my use of Rumsford continued because it became certified as a non-GMO project verified item.

Are they still good?

If you don’t bake a lot chances are those little cans of baking powder sit there for a long time.  Or that box of baking soda.  And while they’re both shelf stable, there is a limit to how long they’ll last.

Here’s a simple way to test them and see if they’re still up to the task of making your baked goods fluffy:

• Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to 2-3 ounces of hot water.  Bubbles means it’s still good to use.
• Add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to 1-2 ounces of vinegar. If you’ve just created a middle school volcano eruption, you’re good to go.

Now that you know the difference between baking soda and baking powder, how to tell if they’re still useful, plus the fact that not all baking powders are equal, it seems a little unfair to not also leave you with a recipe.

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

There’s something special about coffee cake. Probably left over from my childhood when my Nana and my aunties always seemed to have coffee cake around. And there was something special about a nice cup of tea or coffee served with a delicious coffee cake and conversation.  This moist and tasty recipe is sure to be a hit anytime. 

Cinnamon Pecan Coffee Cake

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Ingredients

  

• ½ cup organic unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup organic granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup organic whole milk sourcream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups gluten free flour blend (I prefer King Arthurs Measure for Measure)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (Rumsford’s, of course)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• Topping

  ½ cup organic brown sugar

  ½ cup chopped pecans (can substitute walnuts if you prefer)

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  4-5 grates of nutmeg

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Grease and flour 9-in baking pan
• In a large bowl or mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes)
• Beat in eggs one a time, combining well between additions
• Add sour cream and vanilla extract until well combined
• In a separate bowl whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients slowly, stirring until combined but not overmixed
• Make the topping by combining brown sugar, pecans, cinnamon, and nutmeg until crumbly in texture
• Assemble the coffee cake by pouring half of the batter into the pan, top with half the topping mix and repeat with the remaining ingredients
• Bake 40-45 minutes or until a cake pick comes out clean when inserted into the cake
• Let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

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"Products - Clabber Girl". Clabber Girl, 2023, https://clabbergirl.com/products/?_product_category=baking-powder.

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