How To Make Cake Flour
Cake flour. Let’s face facts: I never have cake flour on hand when I need it. Luckily, there’s a super easy way to turn good old all-purpose flour into cake flour, lightening your cake crumb, making it super soft and delicious. Maybe you already know this trick. It’s a good one.
Here’s a step by step. From me to you!
How to Turn All-Purpose Flour into Cake Flour
Step One: Measure out the all-purpose flour that you’ll need for your recipe.
Step Two: For every cup of flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and return it to the flour bin. Throw the cup of flour (minus the two tablespoons) into a sifter set over a bowl.
Step Three: Replace the two tablespoons of flour that your removed with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
Step Four: Sift the flour and cornstarch together. Sift it again, and again and again. The cornstarch and flour need to be well incorporated and the flour aerated. Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture about five times. Look at that! You just made cake flour!
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Many many thanks!!! Is there a way to turn all-purpose into bread flour?
Bread flour is flour with a higher protein content, leading to more gluten,etc.
The level of protein in certain brands differ. King Arthur’s “all purpose” can frequently be substituted for bread flour.
Also, if you are able to find “vital wheat gluten” and add some (not sure of the precise proportions, but a bit less than 1 tsp/cup) to all purpose then you’ll raise the net protein content enough to get by.
Check Peter Reinhart’s “Bread Baker’s Apprentice” or Beranbaum’s “Bread Bible” for a bunch more information on this stuff.
(God how I miss having a working oven ;-)
Thanks Mike! I never thought I could turn all-purpose flour into bread flour because of the differing protein contents. Great tips!
Happy to help.
Yep, that’s really the only technical difference. It’s a blend of hard and soft flours but that’s only to achieve the increased protein content. The math is probably easily researched.
A quick scan turned up this link that talks about the actual numbers.
http://www.joyofbaking.com/flour.html
I didn’t realize that cake flour was just the other side of the coin and the primary effect of the cornstarch trick is just to remove protein.
Just goes to show ya, if you’re not careful you learn something new every day.
I gotta learn to be more careful.
o/
I’ve done that for the red velvet cake I made. Works great!
I did not know you can actually make your own, at home. Thank you so much !
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
I’m definitely bookmarking this post. I can’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. You’re the greatest, Joy!
This is really good to know. I do have a question however. I am allergic to corn and its by products. Have you ever tried this with an alternative starch such as rice or tapioca? The cake flour I do use has no cornstarch in it, but I don’t always have it on hand. Thanks!
That’s a great question Vivan! I have never tried this trick with rick or tapioca powder. If you try it, do let me know how it works out for you!
Vivian, you can replace corn starch with potato starch. They work one-for-one, so one tablespoon corn starch = one tablespoon potato starch. Be sure to get potato STARCH and not potato FLOUR. If you have trouble finding it now, wait until the Spring and look for it in the Kosher for Passover section of the store. It keeps a long time too!
I’ve never purchased cake flour but always sift my all purpose flour with potato starch. it has similar properties and acts in a similar way to corn starch. Using the same technique and amounts Joy listed with the substitution should work. Hope that helps
Love this and love your recipes. Thanks for posting
very nice. One less big plastic container.
Awesome! Now I don’t need to buy cake flour! Woo Hoo!
Isn’t cake flour bleached whereas most all-purpose isn’t?
Yes. Cake flour is often bleached, but I tend to stay away from bleached flours. I’ve found that this trick with unbleached all-purpose flour works wonders and I get to skip the bleaching. Bonus for me!
Wow I neve knew that1 Thanks we will be making it from now on!
you guys Stateside are lucky to have “cake flour” to buy! It seems we haven’t thought of making a lovely marketable product like that here yet. (And when I lived in the middle east, self-raising flour wasn’t even on the shelves! A nightmare.) Thanks for your joy always, Joy!
And for “self-rising” flour, I’ve added 1 tsp of baking powder per cup of flour with decent results (not sure if that’s the true proper ratio, but it’s worked for me)
hmmm, thanks! =)
I’ve never bought cake flour (ok, maybe once…because I was out of corn starch anyway, hahaha), but i’ve never sifted the stuff together. Usually I just replace the 2 tbs of flour with 2 tbs of cornstarch, and call it a day. But I will def do this sifting thing next time!
Thanks Joy! Never thought about making my own!
Thank you so much, I live a long way from anywhere and the shops at my nearest anywhere never have cake flour, this is so great.
I only wish you’d posted this great tip on Thursday, when I made a birthday cake that called for cake flour and I just substituted all plain flour. The cake was OK … but only just OK. I bet this would have made it better. Still, slather a layer cake with chocolate frosting, and who is going to complain?
Thanks so much Joy!! What a great tip – you are the best!
Great tip, Joy! I’ve done this before but it’s always good to be reminded. Did you know King Arthur recently came out with a new unbleached cake flour (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/unbleached-cake-flour-blend)? But looking at the ingredients, I suspect they pretty much did what you suggest right here ;).
Amazing! You cant buy cake flour in the UK so I’ll deffo be giving this a go.
Katie xox
This is great! I use cake flour along with all-purpose for my pizza dough every Friday night. Thanks for the tip!
For those not in the US cake flour is our normal all purpose or plain flour. It is any other flour that is hard to buy here.
We have only just started branching out to the high gluten bread or bakers flour.
If your are not sure check the ingredients listing if it has so sort of corn starch in it then it is already cake flour.
Wow, I’m impressed but also slightly confused… I’m in the UK and always thought ‘cake flour’ was the US term for Self Raising flour. What difference does the cornstarch make to the finished product? What would happen if you used plain flour? Do I need to start making this stuff? x
Self raising flour is flour that has a leavener such as baking powder already added to it. Cake flour is just a lower protein (therefore lighter) flour used instead of all purpose flour for delicate items like cakes. Things with more structure, ie bread, need the higher protein content of All purpose or bread flour. King Arthur flour has a good explanation of different flour types and their purposes. http://www.kingarthurflour.com
Sara
In the UK ‘Plain Flour’ is US cake flour. Most People have this in their pantry.
There is also Bread flour and pasta flour, both totally different in the gluten/protien aspect. I tend to use ’00′ for pasta. You will find ‘OO’ flour in deli’s or ask, a good deli will know what ’00′ flour is (the ’00′ is a grade of flour, which is exactly what we are all talking about here). Bread flour is in the supermarket aisle with the bread mixes. There should be just a plain flour there without anything added to it or with the yeast packets in the box. I believe the bread grade of flour is what they are talking about here, when they lighten it using the corn flour.
Self raising flour is exactly the same in all countries its is ‘cake flour’ with the correct ratio of baking powder (not soda) added.
Just some background on me – I am and Australian who has lived in the US (18mths) and the UK (2yrs)
So in answer to your question all you need in the pantry is Plain and Self raising, which should cover most recipes. I buy my bread or pasta flour on demand. If you have a US recipe that calls for cake flour and baking powder then just used self raising. If that same recipe calls for baking powder and baking soda then you still need to add the baking soda (which is Bi Carb Soda). And example of this is Banana Bread/Cake. Bi card makes it the darker colour.
Hope this makes sense, otherwise feel free to email me at ozgirlkim @ gmail.com
Self raising flour has baking soda (or powder, I forget which) added to it. Cake flour doesn’t, but cake flour will make a lighter, more tender cake.
Joy, have you done a comparison with self-made cake flour and the stuff you buy? Frankly, I’m lazy enough to want to just use cake flour, but it would be nice to use that hint in a pinch. :)
I bought a bag of the vital wheat gluten – Bob’s Red Mills. I believe it calls for 1 tbsp per cup of flour. I used some the last time I made pizza dough, but I want to use it for whole wheat rolls. I prefer whole grain bread, but I find when I make it rather than buy it, it’s denser and rather tasteless. Maybe the wheat gluten will be my magic ingredient.
I love your blog. It’s fun, informative, and so pretty and soothing.
Joy, you are such a superhero! As much as I love your amazing recipes and photos and prose, I really appreciate that you occasionally share little tidbits of wisdom with us. Making your own cake flour! Who knew?
great tutorial! keep them coming…& thanks!
I have always wondered this! I never have it on hand either. Thanks so much for sharing.
I’ve read that self-rising flour can be made using 1 cup of all-purpose flour + 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder + 1/2 teaspoon salt. You can also make your own baking powder by mixing baking soda with cream of tartar but I’m not sure of the proportions.
OK. I’m never buying cake flour again. I have too many flour containers in my pantry, but there never seems to be the ones I need.
I had no idea it was that simple! Thank you SOOOO much Joy!
There’s an easier way than measuring a cup of flour, removing a tablespoon and adding a tablespoon of starch. Take the empty measuring cup, put in your two tablespoons of starch, then fill to the top with flour and level. Ta da!
I think most people can manage to scoop up a cup of flour without inadvertently dumping the corn starch into the flour bin. If not, then spoon the flour into the cup.
This little tip is INVALUABLE!
Awesome tip. Thanks. Will try as soon as oven is repaired! It’s been on disability since June! I wanna bake!!!
Thanks for this great tip. I’ll go mix myself a canister right now.
Love this. What a great and useful tip.
wow, your timing is going in my favour alot lately, thanks joy! i got an emerican cupcake book the other week and it has cake flour all over the place. someone else told me all i have to do is take out two tablespoons of flour and not add anything. ended up with chai cupcakes the texture of stale donuts. lucky i kind of like stale donuts. but now i can cook fluffy things just like you guys in the us. very exciting, thanks again joy!
thanks for this! (: now I know how to turn all purpose flour into cake flour!
Interesting tip. I’ve always been under the impression that cake flour is lower in protein than all purpose flour (sort of the opposite of bread flour, which has more protein). Is this impression incorrect? I can see how replacing some of the flour with corn starch would reduce the gluten content, but, on some level, this, in my understanding, isn’t “real” cake flour. So I guess my question is, as someone asked above, how does the end product compare?
thank you so much!
such great useful info!
I have always wondered!! This was so informative, thank you!
Such a great tip! I had no clue it was that easy! Now I won’t have to buy boxes of cake flour anymore :)
I was actually wondering about this the other day. I made the mistake of asking my boyfriend about it. He just turned ad looked at me very very blankly!
Guess he had no clue either! But now I do know how to make regular all purpose flour into cake flour! Hooray!
Thank you Joy.
Joy, you rock. Cake flour is more money for less flour than AP plus the kind that they have at my nearby stores comes in an excessive amount of packaging. Now I know how to save some money and “reduce”. (Plus I always run out at an inopportune moment . . .)
GREAT!!! THANKS!
I prefer to buy unbleached flour as well but when i want cake/pastry flour I can never find it unbleached and wondered why! Is there a reason why they don’t bleach the cake flour? I would definately prefer to skip the bleached stuff if I can…
This will make a great (easy) substitute. Thanks!
Can you substitute the hand sifting with fluffing the two ingredients together in a food processor?
This is great!
I did not know it was made this way… Thank you so much! This is great, now I have cake flour handy at home :)
Oh that makes me HAPPY! I hate buying an expensive box of flour just to use part of it. : )
Thanks for this tip! I always wondered what was so special about cake flour.
This is genius! Thank you!