Along with all-purpose flour, it helps it to rise. Generally, if you use self-rising flour, and omit the baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt, there is no difference.
Baking powder or Bi-carb soda
To bake cakes and to do experiments on it
generally cakes or breads. this is because when baking soda is heated it lets off carbon dioxide this makes the cakes or breads have a fluffy texture.
to make them rise
Baking soda is used in some cake recipes. Other recipes call for baking powder or simply beaten egg whites for leavening.
A cake made with baking soda can rise more than a cake made without it because baking soda reacts with acid in the recipe to produce carbon dioxide gas, which creates bubbles in the batter, causing it to rise. On the other hand, a cake without baking soda may rely on other leavening agents like baking powder or beaten eggs to rise, but it may not rise as much as a cake with baking soda.
Cakes rise because of the self raising flour or baking powder/soda. The butter that you find in cakes coat the granules and help provide air pockets. these air pockets are filled with air so that is how a cake rises.
Adding baking soda to cakes made with wheat flour helps the batter rise and become lighter and airier during baking. The baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients in the batter to produce carbon dioxide gas, which creates bubbles and causes the cake to rise. This results in a softer, more tender texture in the final cake.
Baking powder is a rising agent, designed to make breads and cakes soft and fluffy. This is usually not desired in cookies.
They are chemical (non-yeast) leavening agent usually used in quick breads, cakes and cookies.
It makes baked goods like cookies and cakes rise and less dense.
True. Both shortened (butter cakes) and unshortened (foam cakes) cakes may contain a chemical leavening agent such as baking powder or baking soda to help the cake rise and become light and fluffy.