Yes, you can overdo it. I’m looking at you, overachievers. If you add extra baking powder thinking “more lift = more better,” you’ll get a cake that rises too fast, then collapses into a crater. It’s the baking equivalent of a sugar high and a crash.
Too much also leaves a bitter, chemical aftertaste. You’ll bite into your slice and think, “Why does this taste like a dentist’s office?” Not the vibe we want.
Stick to the recipe. The person who wrote it already did the math. Trust them.
The Texture Trick
Baking powder doesn’t just make a cake tall. It makes it tender. Those tiny bubbles create little pockets of air. When you bite into a perfectly baked cake, you’re biting into a network of millions of tiny caves. That’s the fluffiness.
It’s also why overmixing is a crime. If you beat the batter like it owes you money, you pop all those bubbles. You knock the air out. You get a tough, rubbery slab.
Be gentle. Fold, don’t punch. Your batter is delicate.
