A former Great British Bake Off contestant has delved into the difference between baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
Alice Fevronia, 32, from London, reminded her 139,000 Instagram followers that the two raising agents are ‘not interchangeable’ in a Reel that has amassed over 65,000 views.
Highlighting the difference between the two, the former Geography teacher – who appeared on the series in 2019 – began by delving into the benefits of bicarbonate of soda.
Alice said: ‘Bicarbonate of Soda is a single ingredient alkali and requires moisture and a mild acid – like buttermilk, cream of tartar or yoghurt – to activate.
‘[It] creates creates bubbles of carbon dioxide to help your bakes rise.’
Alice Fevronia, 32, from London, reminded her 139,000 followers that the two raising agents are ‘not interchangeable’. Pictured: the former Geography teacher appeared on the 2019 series
As such, Alice demonstrated how this makes it a crucial ingredient for creating the light fluffy pancakes – zooming in on the air bubbles as she gently fried some over her hob.
In contrast, Alice then went on to explain how baking powder does not require an additional acid to work effectively.
She continued: ‘Whereas Baking Powder is a combination of both this alkaline bicarbonate of soda plus an acidic cream of tartar.
‘So all it really needs is moisture to activate as it can create this leavening effect by itself!’
In the caption, Alice admitted that she never used to understand the difference between the two household ingredients when she started out baking.
She wrote: ‘Do you know the difference? Or when to use each one?
‘When I was little I used to blindly follow recipes and just add things because that’s what they said, but the more I learnt about the ingredients and the science behind baking, the easier I found to create my own recipes and to troubleshoot when they went wrong!
‘A raising agent it a crucial ingredient for many recipes, but getting the right one can make or break a bake!’
Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda are not interchangable and can affect the taste of your bake, depending on which you use
Left: Alice demonstrates a chocolate cake recipe with bicarbonate of soda. Right: Alice demonstrates a chocolate cake recipe with baking powder
Alice’s video has amassed over 65,000 views. In the clip, she made a chocolate cake (right) which required baking powder to rise
Urging followers to question their recipes, she added: ‘Sometimes you’ll need to use both, because the recipe calls for more leavening than there is acid available.
‘Be careful not to add too much of either though, as this can cause bakes to over-rise and collapse or taste bitter!
‘As well as an acid, baking powder often contains salt and a base (often cornflour) which can affect the texture and taste of your bakes too!’
Although fans were grateful for the tip, one follower questioned what the ‘point’ of bicarbonate of soda as baking powder appears to ‘do the job’.
Recommending fans keep both ingredients in their cupboards, Alice added: ‘You could substitute with baking powder, but as bicarb is a lot stronger, you’d need to add more baking powder which could affect the taste of the bake.
Alice got all the way through to the final of The Great British Bake Off in 2019 and was narrowly beaten by David Atherton
Alice made pancakes using bicarbonate of soda. She explained how the carbon dioxide bubbles help bakes to rise effectively
‘They can also affect the texture too depending on what you’re making!’
‘I’ve always wondered what the difference was,’ one fan replied. ‘Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly and easily.’
Another added: ‘Super helpful!’
‘Perfectly explainer with yummy visuals,’ a third gushed.
Alice got all the way through to the final of The Great British Bake Off in 2019 and was narrowly beaten by David Atherton.
Last year, she founded her business On The Cake Stand – which connects users with local independent bakers in their area.
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