In order for a cake to rise and become light and spongy, air has to be trapped inside the mixture, just as it does in bread. Instead of yeast, most cakes contain a raising agent, such as bicarbonate of soda. When it is heated with flour and liquid, chemical reactions take place to produce little bubbles of carbon dioxide, which are then trapped in the mixture as it becomes firm. Another way of incorporating air into cakes is to whisk eggs before adding them to the mixture. The air is trapped in the egg mixture, which becomes firm as it cooks. This method is used in cakes that do not contain fat.
Basically, the thing that makes a cake rise is bubbles, and lots of tiny little ones. You get the bubbles in there with a chemical raising agent like baking powder or by whisking up egg whites. Most recipes will use a chemical raising agent because it’s a lot more predictable and a lot less hard work than whisking for 3 years.
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Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) is the active ingredient that is added to baked goods to make them rise. Recipes that use baking soda as a leavening agent also contain an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, milk, honey or brown sugar which server as a reactive agent. The baking soda reacts with the acidic ingredient to produce tiny bubbles of CO2 that get trapped in the batter.
The gas bubbles expand in the heat of the oven and rise up, giving you a fluffy and airy cake.
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