There are tons of cake recipes out there, from angel food to red velvet. These recipes make different types of cake, but mostly share the same ingredients, like flour, sugar and eggs. When you mix them up and pop them in the oven, it seems like magic happens! How does that pile of ingredients turn into a cake? We asked science writer Stuart Farrimond to help us find the answer.

Got a question that takes the cake? Send it to us at BrainsOn.org/contact, and we’ll help find an answer – no ifs, ands, or bundts.