Baked with Love: How Food Allergies Led to the Invention of Baking Powder

When an ingenious chemist indulges his wife’s sweet tooth, he changes the face of baking forever in this charming story of science—and true love.

Elizabeth Bird is allergic to cake. In truth, she’s allergic to yeast and eggs, and there is no cake without yeast or eggs in 1843 Victorian England. But the love of Elizabeth’s life—her husband, Alfred, who happens to be a chemist—doesn’t want her to keep missing out on parties and treats, so he turns to science for a solution. Through a trial-and-error labor of love—and countless bubbly messes—Alfred finally invents a simple substitute that will enrich his wife’s life and lead to light and fluffy cakes for all: baking powder! Sweetened with expressive illustrations and a generous dusting of backmatter, this playful narrative advocates for hands-on science while spotlighting kitchen chemistry, the widespread uses of baking powder, the history of food allergies, and the many ways in which important inventions or accommodations for people with disabilities benefit whole societies.