Hi Carol,

I had another thought about homemade baking powder without cornstarch that I forgot to mention! Cornstarch doesn't play a role in the reaction, but it is an important ingredient in the product that makes baking powder shelf stable! If you make homemade baking powder without cornstarch, it won't last as long because the baking soda and cream of tartar powders will react a little faster without that starch that acts as a buffer. Historically, baking powder used to be sold to consumers in two separate containers (one of baking soda and a separate bottle for cream of tartar) and the two were mixed by the baker at home when baking! Here's a reference on the development of baking powder that mentions cornstarch (when and why it was added) https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/bakingpowder.html#development-of-baking-powder

Hi Carol,
That's a tough question! The cornstarch in the formula is to help keep the mixture clump-free, among other things, but it doesn't play a role in the chemistry. I would honestly skip the cornstarch if you can't use it. Just know that every teaspoon of your homemade baking powder will be slightly more potent and reactive.

As for your question about aluminum, neither baking soda nor cream of tartar contains aluminum, so yes, this recipe makes aluminum-free baking powder! I hope this helps!

Hi Gail, I’m so glad you found the article helpful! Based on the amount of flour you have, it does seem like you have too much baking powder, but it’s hard to say without seeing the entire recipe. I’d likely halve the amount, so try 17 grams, and see how the cake does. That could still be too much, but I think it’s a pretty decent guesstimate based on the flour quantity. Your eggs will also contribute to leavening, which is why I think it’s possible you might need even less, perhaps 10 grams. That would likely be my next attempt if 17 grams proves to be too much still. Good luck! And please let me know how it goes and what works in the end! Good luck!

I was having a problem when i changed the brand of my baking powder from the one similar to Magic Baking Powder ingr to Fleischmann's. I use the same measurment, but my cake turned out to have bigger air pockets and sunken in the middle with fleischmanns. It was a chiffon cake, I use 454g of cake flour to 34g of baking powder. How much less of baking powder do i use? I hope you can help me. Thank you.

Thanks for the detailed information.