Why is flour and baking powder sifted before folding into sponge batter?

• A. To remove lumps and aerate
• B. To color the batter
• C. To add moisture
• D. To increase sweetness

Answer: (A)

Sifting dry ingredients before folding helps remove lumps and aerate the mixture. Removing lumps ensures the flour and baking powder blend evenly with the beaten eggs, so there aren’t dense pockets in the sponge. Aerating the dry mix lightly inserts air and makes the dry ingredients distribute more uniformly, which helps preserve the batter’s volume when you fold in the eggs. Distributing the leavening evenly means the sponge will rise consistently rather than having spots that rise more or less. As a result, you get a light, fine crumb throughout the cake. Sifting doesn’t color the batter, add moisture, or increase sweetness—the color, moisture, and sweetness come from other ingredients and the overall mixing method.