How to Make Cake Flour

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How to Make Cake Flour – Learn how to make your own cake flour at home. An easy two-ingredient substitute.

How to Make Cake Flour - Learn how to make your own cake flour at home. An easy two-ingredient substitute. // addapinch.com

Have you ever started to make a cake, muffins, or another baked good only to find that recipe calls for a specialty flour like cake flour? I have. Plenty of times. It is a flour that I hardly ever keep on hand.

Thankfully, you can make your own with ingredients that you most likely do always have on hand!

How to Make Cake Flour - Learn how to make your own cake flour at home. An easy two-ingredient substitute. // addapinch.com

What is Cake Flour?

Cake flour is a light flour made of soft wheat flour that has been chlorinated to produce flour with about 6-8% protein content and a beautiful texture.

How to Make Cake Flour - Learn how to make your own cake flour at home. An easy two-ingredient substitute. // addapinch.com

Why Do You Use Cake Flour Instead of Regular All-Purpose Flour?

Since cake flour has such a low protein content, it produces less gluten when used in recipes. Therefore, it is primarily used in baking recipes for cakes, cookies, and muffins when a soft texture and light, airy result is desired. It is perfect for using when baking white cakes or cupcakes, as well as tea cakes.

What Two Ingredients Do You Need to Make Cake Flour?

You only need two ingredients that you probably keep on hand: cornstarch and all-purpose flour.

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! Problem solved.

Do You Have to Use Cake Flour in Recipes?

No, you absolutely do not. If you are using low-protein flour, such as White Lily, then these flours are considered great for baking. The low protein content of the flour makes the a great general-use flour, but also a perfect flour for baking.

If you are using a higher protein flour, I would consider using this recipe to lighten the protein content of the flour so that you have light, airy cake, and moist muffins!

Here’s how you make it.

How to Make Cake Flour

5 from 4 votes
How to Make Cake Flour – Learn how to make your own cake flour at home. An easy two-ingredient substitute. 
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 2 minutes
Servings: 4 (1/4 cup) serving

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions 

  • Measure 1 level cup of all-purpose flour, remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and then place the flour into a bowl. 
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the all-purpose flour. Whisk together to combine and use as a substitute for 1 cup cake flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 34mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

You may also want to check out how to make your own self-rising flour substitute. It’s pretty life-changing if you ask me.

Enjoy!
Robyn

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




44 Comments

  1. LC (Elsie) Jones says:

    So happy to find a way to make my own cake flour. Sold out at all local stores and too late to get on time for when I need it which is now. Thank you so very much for posting this.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Thanks, Elsie. I love that I can make the amount of flour I need whenever I need it. So glad it helped you.

  2. Susan says:

    There is no cake flour in any supermarkets in the UK and lately the recipes I want to use all require it. I don’t know why stores don’t stock it here. This is a very useful tip, thank you.

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so glad this helped you, Susan!

  3. Jeniffer Hooper says:

    Thank you,
    Iโ€™m definitely bookmarking this post. I canโ€™t tell you how many trips to the store this one tip will save me. Or SEVERAL stores, because I never know which one will have cake flour on any given day. Youโ€™re the greatest, Joy!

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I’m so happy this has helped you, Jennifer!

  4. nagwanlashin@gmail.com says:

    Hello Robyn, just wondering if the all purpose flour should be bleached or Unbleached ? Thank you

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      I use White Lily flour which is a bleached all-purpose flour.

  5. Kerri Umeki says:

    Thank you for your help. I only had half the amount of cake flour that the recipe called for.

  6. Anne says:

    Question: since I am always in need of cake flour, can I have several prepared in a jar and just use whats needed? Example, have 10 cups all purpose flour (minus 2 tablespoons for each cup) along with the 20 tablespoons of cornstarch all in the same jar and just take the amount needed for each recipe?

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Hi Anne,
      You can make several batches of the cake flour and store in an airtight container so you always have it ready to use as you need it. Enjoy!

  7. Clarita Callos says:

    How to convert bread flour to all purpose flour? And bread flour to cake flour. Also my question too is whenever I bake cookies for my grandkids the texture is more like a bread using bread flour. Thank youย 

    1. Robyn Stone says:

      Hi Clarita,
      You need to start with all-purpose flour for baking. Bread flour has more protein and does not work well for baking cookies and cakes. Thanks. Hope this helps.

  8. Jody T. says:

    Robyn – adding just 2 TBSP of cornstarch to the 3/4 of flour is just shy 2 TBSP of 1 C. Do you sift the flour afterwards to get the volume that will makeup the total 1 C.?

  9. Nikki says:

    Question: I’m planning on using this for a cake tomorrow. Do I sift the AP flour before I measure it? Or, do I sift the AP flour + cornstarch together afterwards? Help! Thanks!

  10. Chase says:

    I never knew how to do this. Thanks, you just saved me a grocery store trip.