What Is Cake Flour?
What is cake flour? I’m answering all your questions here! Learn why this ingredient is often called for, what it is, where to get it, & how it’s used.
I have a lot of cake and cupcake recipes on this site, and so many of them call for cake flour!
I’ve been using this ingredient in my cakes and cupcakes since way before I ever even started this website. If you’ve tried any of my cake recipes, then you’ve probably heard me explain why.
It’s one of the number one questions I get asked by readers! So I thought it was about time to break it down and explain it in a post.
What is cake flour?
Cake flour is flour that is very finely milled from soft winter wheat.
It has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour and is finer, lighter, and softer.
It’s also bleached, so the color is paler, and the grain is less dense.
Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour: What’s the difference?
The main difference is the lower protein content, which produces less gluten.
You know when you’re making bread, and it gets that chewy, elastic texture to it? So yummy, right?
Well, it’s good when you’re talking about yeast breads, but not so good when you’re talking about cakes.
So, what type of flour is best for cakes?
We want light, soft, and tender cakes, with a fine, close crumb. And that is exactly what you will get if you use low protein flour.
The first time I baked a cake with cake flour, I was astonished. It sounds silly, but it was life-changing for me.
I could not get over the difference it made in that cake!
Ever since then, I swear by it! I’m always sure to keep a box in my pantry.
I mean, if you’re going to the trouble of baking a cake from scratch, wouldn’t you want the final product to be the best it can possibly be?
You can use this ingredient to make any type of cake, including chocolate cake, vanilla cake, and white cake, and it’s a must when making angel food cake!
Where do you get cake flour?
It’s is pretty easy to find here in the US. I’ve never been to a grocery store that doesn’t carry it.
It’s in the baking aisle in the same general area as all-purpose flour.
There are all sorts of flours: bleached all-purpose, unbleached all-purpose, bread flour, pastry flour, whole wheat flour… the list goes on and on. This is just another one of those, unique in its purpose, and it can be found right alongside all the others.
It can also be ordered online! Here’s a link to purchase it: Cake Flour.
My favorite brands are Softasilk, Swan’s Down, King Arthur Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill. They are all great products and will yield excellent results.
If you do not live in the US, you might have more difficulty finding this ingredient.
As far as I know, there is nothing quite the same available in Europe.
It’s is NOT “self-raising flour,” and it is NOT “sponge flour.”
The closest thing would probably be “plain flour,” sifted with a bit of cornstarch (see “Cake Flour Substitute” below).
Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?
If a recipe calls for a specific ingredient, it’s best to use it.
In a pinch, yes you can substitute all-purpose flour. But if you want to bake like a boss, I’d highly recommend keeping a box of this magic in your pantry.
If you use all-purpose flour, you will notice that your cakes and cupcakes will have more of an open crumb. In other words, there will be bigger pockets of air within the cake.
The final result will also be a little more dense and chewy.
I prefer the light, soft texture of cakes baked with a lower protein flour.
Homemade Cake Flour Recipe
If you’re still unconvinced, or live in a part of the world where it’s unavailable, you can create your own cake flour substitute.
For every cup of cake flour, replace it with 1 cup of all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons, plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Cornstarch is another type of starch but it has very little protein, which will help lighten the all-purpose flour.
Depending upon where you are in the world, it may go by the name “corn flour.”
It is white and powdery. It is NOT cornmeal, which is usually yellow and gritty.
This will yield a fluffier texture.
Step 1: Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour.
Step 2: Sift the regular flour and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch together.
Step 3: Measure by weight or lightly spoon into a measuring cup, then level off. NEVER pack flour into a measuring cup! More info on that here: How to Measure Ingredients for Baking.
This will result in something similar to one cup of cake flour.
With that said, bear in mind that this substitution is not exactly the same thing as cake flour, so the results will be better but not identical to the low-protein flour.
Most recipes here on Baking a Moment are measured by cups and teaspoons because that’s how most of my readers bake. But if you prefer to measure your ingredients by weight, check out my free printable Weight Conversion Chart.
Is cake flour gluten-free?
No, cake flour is not gluten-free.
Cake flour falls under the category of wheat flours. Although it does produce less gluten than all-purpose flour, it’s still not recommended for people with gluten intolerance.
What can I use cake flour for?
Cake flour is great for cakes. But what if you don’t bake many cakes and want to use up what you have left over?
Good news! Cake flour is excellent in all kinds of recipes. Anytime you’re baking something that wants to be airy and delicate, cake flour is a great option.
But I would stick with all-purpose flour for things like cookies and pie crust, and use bread flour for anything yeasted (such as pizza dough or dinner rolls).
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Homemade Cake Flour
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour using the spoon and level method.
- Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour.
- Add the flour to the sifter, along with the cornstarch.
- Sift the flour and cornstarch together into a large bowl.
- Measure by weight or lightly spoon into a measuring cup and then level off. NEVER pack flour into a measuring cup!
Notes
- This substitution is not exactly the same thing as cake flour, so the results will be better but not identical.
- If weighing your ingredients use 110 grams of all-purpose flour, and 10 grams of cornstarch.
Can I replace corn starch with potato starch?
I’m honestly not sure. I’ve never tried that so I can’t guarantee that it would give the same result. Sorry!
I recently made a batch of an Italian cookie the family calls Biscotti, although its not like the twice-baked treat. It is a rolled cookie with an added icing. I used all purpose flour but the surface of the cookie came out slightly “textured” instead of smooth. So for the next batch of similar Italian cookie, I used 1/2 cake flour and 1/2 all purpose. It solved the surface texture problem, but I had to add a lot more flour to the dough because it was so sticky initially that I could not roll it out. The resultant cookie looked good but was a little dry. Any suggestions for solving the cookie texture problem and the use of cake flour . . . Is it less absorbent of recipe liquids?
Thanks so much,
Joanie
Hey Joanie that’s so interesting! It’s hard for me to say without seeing or ever having tasted the recipe- I don’t really know what the texture is meant to be like. It does make sense that a higher protein flour might be less absorbent. Have you ever thought about adding a little cornstarch to your cookie dough? This is something I do a lot, and I love the texture that it gives to cookies. I can’t say exactly how much to add without knowing the recipe, but maybe sub out 1/4 cup of flour for cornstarch, and then if the dough is still too sticky just keep adding flour until you get the consistency you’re looking for. I hope that’s helpful! Thanks for reading and for the great question.
Hi again! Why do your recipes do half cake flour and half regular flour? I’m tempted to go 100% cake flour with as how good as you make it sound!
I’m not sure if this question was meant for me or for Joan, but I typically use a blend because the all-purpose flour gives the cake a little more strength. Cake flour can sometimes make things overly delicate if it’s the only kind of flour used.
Allie, what about using White Lily AP flour? The protein content for the White Lily is 8gm/cup which is the same as the Swans Down and Softasilk. I blend my own flour to get a good pastry flour so I have KAF and White Lily on hand. I don’t know why I didn’t think to use the White Lily for cupcakes, but I’m going to try it and see how they turn out. I make more cookies, muffins, and pies than I do cakes and cupcakes.
Great tip! Thanks so much for sharing Julia!
I live in Spain where it’s almost impossible to find cake flour. However I am able to get low protein flour. Would this be a good substitute? Thanks
Hi Jeanne! Thanks for reading and for the great question. To be honest I am not familiar with that particular product, but it sounds like it may be similar since cake flour is also lower in protein. I would definitely give it a try and see how you like the results!
In Spain you can easily find cake flour, it is called ‘harina fina’ o ‘harina de repostería’.
I’m thinking about making some homemade chocolate flour tortillas but I want them to be really soft and kinda fluffy would cake flour work?
I’ve never tried- but if fluffy and soft are what you’re going for, that might be the perfect solution!
Hi! Love your website 🙂 How do you know calculate the ratio between plain flour to cake flour in your recipes?
Hi Jade! Thank you so much! Recipe testing is a huge part of what I do. So it’s really just been a trial and error process with each recipe. Hope that answers your question!
I would like to make your Boston cream pie in a 13X10 inch rectangular glass dish. Should I double the recipe? It is for a large group.
Hi Barbara! Can you help me to understand a little better what it is you are trying to do? Since this is a double layer cake I’m unclear. Will you be using 2 13×10 glass dishes?
Thanks for a great article-I just bought some cake flour and was curious about baking Madeleines with it….even tho they’re technically a cookie…but a cake like cookie! Would the cake flour make any difference from using all purpose flour? Thank you
Hi Kelly! I’m so excited you’re going to make Madeleines. They’re one of my favorite treats! I think you could probably sub some of the flour with cake flour and still have a nice result. It’s always a balance of strength (from ap flour) vs. lightness (from cake flour). Play around with the ratios and see what you like! Good luck!
Any adjustments for high altitude?
Hey Carmen! I just googled “high altitudge baking” for you and came up with a lot of great results. You can check them out here: High Altitude Baking. Hope that’s helpful!
Can you over-beat the batter with cake flour? I made an old recipe that I always use regular flour in and used cake flour. The layers were much thinner than normal.
Hey Natalie! The biggest danger in over-beating batter is that it could develop the glutens too much and result in a tough cake. If your cake came out thinner than normal, it could be a number of other things that caused it, such as not beating in enough air, using old, expired leavening, or underbaking. Without being familiar with the recipe you used, it’s tough for me to say for sure, but I don’t really think the cake flour was likely the cause.
Hi can I just use cake flour in your white cake recipe?
Hey Nancy! You can try it but I actually prefer to make that recipe as written. It just comes out a little sturdier that way, but feel free to make it however you like!
thanks for the post! I was unable to find cake flour for a strawberry cake that calls for it. I did find pastry flour. would you recommend substituting the pastry flour, or AP flour w/cornstarch? thanks!
No problem Keely! I would probably recommend that you go with the AP Flour/Cornstarch option. I think it’s the closest you will get to cake flour. Hope that’s helpful!
The recipes I use dont call for cake flour, I’ve read a few different conversions but not sure what to use.
Always go with what the recipe says Payton! Many of my recipes call for cake flour, so this article was meant as an explanation as to why I often recommend it.
Why should we not use cake flour instead of all-purpose in a simple cake if it has better results?
Hey there! So sorry but I’m not really sure what you mean. You absolutely should use cake flour when it’s called for in a recipe.
Hi.. if a recipe calls for all purpose flour and i want to substitute it with cake flour so should i use the same amount of cake flour instead of all purpose flour?
You should always follow the recipe as written. All of my cake recipes give exact quantities for any and all types of flour that are called for. This article is merely meant to serve as an explanation as to why some recipes call for cake flour.
Hi Allie, Great post with lots of useful info. Quick question: what about brownies? I’m thinking if I want cake-like to go with cake flour and if I want dense and chewy to go with A/P flour. Am I on the right track? Thanks.
Hey Vicki! You can play around with that but honestly I think cake-like brownies depend more on the ratio of eggs to other ingredients than they do on the type of flour used. Give it a try though and let me know what you think! My favorite brownie recipe is this one: https://bakingamoment.com/simply-perfect-brownies-from-scratch/; they’re definitely more in the dense/chewy category!
So much great info! Now I’m off to buy some cake flour! 😉
How do you substitute cake flour for regular flour? Are different amounts necessary?
Hey C! Most of the cake/cupcake recipes on this site already call for cake flour, so you can just bake them as is!
hi, can we use patent flour for this recipe?? or can I turn patent flour in to cake flour using cornflour as a substitute??
I am so sorry but I am not familiar with patent flour! Wish I could be of more help but I’ve never heard of this product.