Making a cake; plain flour and bicarbonate of soda?!

[ProseccoSupernova]

We have no self raising flour or baking powder. Can we make a decent sponge with just plain flour and bicarbonate...and eggs obviously!! Any recipes would be great :)

You need an acid in there, as well as bicarbonate of soda (baking powder is a mix of Tartaric acid and bicarbonate of soda - the reaction between them releases CO2) Do you have any cream of tartar? Or lemon juice/vinegar?

We have lemon juice... so assume a lemon drizzle cake is the way forward!

The bicarb needs acid ( cream of tartar -the other ingredient in baking powder ) to activate. Try a Genoese sponge, which rises through the whipping of the eggs, not a chemical reagent. Uses more eggs than usual, though . Beloved of Bake Off ! There are other cake recipes which use some vinegar as the acid, but usually those with strong flavours such as lots of chocolate or treacle.

My DD had this question the other day and she tried using lime juice. Described it as semi successful in terms of rising, but lots of jam and cream helped !

Thanks jelly, did it taste of lime though or not? Wanted to make a normal sponge and have with Jam/cream... which won’t really work if it tastes lemony!

I have the opposite problem I've self raising flour but the recipe calls for plain flour, what can I do? I made a Banana loaf earlier in the week with self raising instead of plain and I thought the self raising would include the bicarb and baking powder part but it came out flat anyway??? Any help great let appreciated I hate wasting ingredients. Should I just jot bother?

I don't think it will end up tasting lemon-y. I have seen, and tried, recipes before where you get it to rise by using a mixture of bicarb and vinegar and you don't end up tasting the vinegar.

She said the lime flavour didn’t come through - if you wanted it to, I think you’d have to add the zest. Was taking a punt on how much juice to use, anyway. It certainly did not rise as much as a normal sponge but it made a carrier for the jam and whipped cream. I did not try it myself as she does not live with us but her husband was enthusiastic- though he is not at all critical, just saw ‘cake/dessert ‘ and was happy !

Thanks all!!!
So when you say vinegar... is this the white vinegar you get or good old malt?!

The recipe I used was white vinegar I think, although I've just been searching through my recipe books to check and I can't find it, sorry.

The other thing that works with bicarb is buttermilk or natural yoghurt, they're both acidic.

I’ve got a toffee muller light that needs using today! 🤣🤣

I just used plain flour and bicarb in a banana chocolate loaf and all rose just fine

Was just watching a Jenny Can Cook video on Youtube - she uses lemon juice in hers - chocolate cake recipe.

Found this online.

totallythebomb.com/vanilla-crazy-cake

Regarding the recipe above - I haven't made it, but I have made chocolate cakes like this and they were very good.