Can you use plain flour in a self raisin recipe?

Self-raising flour contains a raising agent, usually baking powder, which is what makes the cake rise. Plain flour does not contain any raising agents, so if you used it in a self-raising recipe, the cake would not rise.

You could make your own self-raising flour by adding 2 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to every 1 cup of plain flour.