cake without baking powder

[cooki]

i have a cake recipe that only requires baking soda, not baking powder. the egg white is not whipped either. will the cake still rise properly?,,or is the recipe wrong...(but i did notice that the batter seems to require a long mixing and incorporating time...)

also, how much buttercream would i need to cover a two layer 9-in cake? is crumb coating necessary?

sorry for so many questions at once ..hehe

[MoreInk]

I don't know what the ingredients are in the cake, but baking soda can have many functions. I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong but baking soda neutralizes acids and can leaven. Buttermilk cakes often have only baking soda since it combined with the buttermilk will have a chemical reaction. Eggs I think are natural leaveners, and some pound cakes have no baking powder or soda at all in them. Egg yolks are great emulsifiers, but egg whites can also act the same way. Depending on how the ingredients are mixed, perhaps no other leavening is needed.

[momoreg]

That's right. If there is enough acid in your recipe, the baking soda may be enough to leaven it. Some recipes with a smaller amt. of acid will contain soda and powder.

[scott123]

It really depends on how much frosting you want, but for 1/2" of buttercream all the way around (and in the middle), it would take about 8.5 cups. That's assuming, of course, that each layer is about 1 1/2" tall.

For 1/4" all the way around, it'll be half that- 4.25 cups.

[cookieguy]

Technically, in baking, the neutralization is the other way around. The acid neutralizes the soda. It is the baking soda from which the carbon dioxide is liberated. Every acid has a neutralizing value assigned to it which helps in choosing the right amount in regards to the soda for the situation. Egg yolks contain the natural emulisfier lecithin which aids mixing of oil and water. Egg yolks are 50% fat and act as a tenderizer. Egg whites have no emulsifying value but the protein readily whips into a foam thereby trapping air (cells) which lowers specific gravity and helps leaven the cake. As egg whites coagulate (baking) they form a structure. The air in the cells expand and increase the volume. Depending on the formula, amounts of natural acids are present which may be enough along with soda and mixing to form a product.

[panini]

I have to believe, that if the recipe requires the eggs sererated, the white need to be somewhat beat.

[cooki]

Thank you for all the info