How does leavening in cake batters differ from bread dough?

• A. Cakes rely on chemical leaveners and air; bread relies on yeast for gas production and structure.
• B. Cakes rely on yeast; bread relies on chemical leavening.
• C. Both rely on air alone.
• D. Both rely on chemical leaveners only.

Answer: (B)

Leavening hinges on how gas is produced and trapped to lift and set the crumb. Cakes rise mainly from chemical leaveners like baking powder or baking soda, often aided by air beaten into the batter during creaming or whipping. The gas generated by those chemical reactions and the expanded air expand the batter as it bakes, yielding a light, tender crumb. Bread dough relies on yeast fermentation to produce gas; as yeast eats sugars, carbon dioxide forms and gets trapped in a developing gluten network, creating both rise and a chewy, structured crumb. Air plays a role in both, but the source of the gas and the resulting texture are different. So the best description is that cake batters are leavened primarily by chemical leaveners and air, while bread dough is leavened primarily by yeast.