How to make your own cake flour substitute (2024)

FAQs

How to make your own cake flour substitute? ›

How to make cake flour: Whisk together 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (105g) all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch. Use in place of cake flour in a recipe, substituting by equal weight or volume.

Making a cake flour substitute is easy with the following two ingredients: all-purpose flour and either cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Start with one level cup of AP flour, remove two tablespoons of the flour, and add two tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot powder back in.

For every 1 cup of flour remove 2 Tbsp of flour. Now add 2 Tbsp of Cornstarch for every 1 cup of flour. (replacing the tablespoons of flour taken out). Sift 5-6 times and it's ready-to-use cake flour.

Make your own - one cup sifted cake flour can be substituted with 3/4 cup (84 grams) sifted bleached all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons (15 grams) cornstarch. Pastry flour is similar to cake flour, although it has not been chlorinated, with an 8-10% protein content and is made from soft wheat flour.

Because all-purpose flour is designed to work for every type of bake, its gluten content is moderate, at around 10 to 13%. Cake flour, however, has one of the lowest gluten contents, at around 7 to 9%, which makes a much softer, lighter crumb. Another important difference is grain size.

No it doesn't. Cake flour doesn't contain any raising agents. So when using it, you will need to use baking powder or baking soda into your cake. When making your own homemade cake flour just note that cornstarch is not a raising agent.

If you don't have cake flour, you can make a cake flour substitute: Begin with 1 level cup of all-purpose flour. Then remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and add 2 tablespoons of either cornstarch or arrowroot powder to the flour.

You can make a cake flour substitute by mixing a few tablespoons of cornstarch (or a cornstarch substitute, but more on that later) into all-purpose flour, which will help inhibit gluten formation. The result? A cake that's just as tender as it would be if you used store-bought cake flour.

Cake Flour vs Self-Raising Flour: Cake flour is finely ground wheat flour with low protein and gluten levels but is bleached for health reasons. Self-raising flour, on the other hand, is not as finely grounded but has more protein and gluten content, with additional ingredients like salt and baking powder.

How is cake flour made? ›

To make one cup of cake flour, combine 14 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk the two together and then sift at least once. We find it easier to start with one cup of all-purpose and then remove two tablespoons of it, replacing them with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.

Some of my favorite brands are Swan's Down, King Arthur Flour, and Softasilk. They are all great products and will yield excellent results. But, if you find yourself in a pinch (or in Europe where it is more difficult to find) – don't panic! You CAN use all purpose flour as a substitute with a little doctoring.

In fact, even though '00' pizza flour's protein content is actually higher than cake flour's — closer to all-purpose flour, in fact — “the cake made with pizza flour is softer and lighter than if it's made with cake flour,” reports Sarah. “It will also rise a little bit taller.”

Cakes with very fine crumbs or that rely on eggs or egg whites for lift, such as sponge or angel food cakes, benefit from sifted flour. You eliminate the risk of clumps and ensure that the flour can be stirred into the batter quicker and easier without knocking all the air out of your beaten eggs.

Add an extra 2 tablespoons per cup of cake flour to equal the quantity in 1 cup of AP flour. If you're substituting all-purpose flour for cake flour, you'll want to reverse these ratios: Use 2 tablespoons less AP flour per cup of cake flour, and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch per cup.

For every cup of cake flour called for in a recipe, measure one cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour, and then add the flour to a mixing bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and whisk well to combine. Voila!

Because plain flour contains no extra ingredients, including rising agents, your cakes and pastries won't rise if you use this type of flour as it is. You'll need to add a rising agent, such as yeast or baking powder, into the plain flour if you want your baked goods to rise and become appetisingly fluffy.

Cake flour is milled to an extra fine consistency (in fact, cake flour may be referred to by some as extra fine or super fine flour), which allows it to absorb a lot of water. This results in a fine crumb and a soft, tender texture.

We tried using bread flour in several baked good recipes, including yellow cake and sugar cookies, but didn't have success. The cake had a dense, gummy texture and the cookies lacked crispness. There are important differences between wheat flours related to the proteins that form gluten when combined with water.