This one’s a little like trying to start a campfire without matches—doable, but you need the right tools. Baking soda alone won’t work without an acid to activate it. So if your recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of baking powder, you can use ¼ teaspoon of baking soda plus a ½ teaspoon of something acidic, like lemon juice, vinegar, or cream of tartar.
Add the acid directly to your wet ingredients (like milk or eggs) before mixing with the dry stuff. Otherwise, your muffins might rise beautifully in the oven, then collapse into sad little pucks. Trust me, I learned this the hard way when I made “sunken blueberry scones” for a book club. The blueberries were the only thing that held them together—and my friends are still laughing.
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How Can I Replace Baking Powder With Baking Soda at Virginia Cowgill blog
Also, don’t overdo the acid. You’re not trying to pickle your cake. Just a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar per ½ teaspoon of soda is perfect. Too much acid, and your brownies will taste sour instead of sweet—which is fine if you’re making sourdough, but not what you wanted for weekend pancakes.
