How To Make Cake Flour

Flour – an absolute staple for any baker’s kitchen, whether you’re an occasional hobbyist or cakey expert at work.

But have you ever gotten halfway through a baking session, before realising you’ve stocked up on every flour except the specialty flour your current recipe demands? Yes, we’re talking about Cake Flour. We’ve all been there.

A flour we often forget to keep on hand, yet as we explore more and more recipes in our baking journey, it’s an ingredient that tends to make an appearance more and more.

Luckily, it’s super easy to create a substitute at home, with just two simple ingredients: All-Purpose Flour and Cornstarch/Cornflour.

What Is Cake Flour?

Cake Flour is a finely milled, light flour that has been chlorinated, producing flour with a much lower protein content (just 6-8%). And because of the low protein content, it produces far less gluten when used in recipes. Perfect for cakes, cookies, and muffin recipes where a soft texture and light, airy result is desired.

How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

For every cup of cake flour required, use one cup of all-purpose flour.
Once you’ve measured a cup of all-purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of cornstarch (the cornstarch helps to inhibit a lot of the gluten formation, resulting in a softer and lighter baked good).
Once you’ve added the cornstarch to the all-purpose flour, whisk it into the flour until well-combined.
Sift the mixture 4-5 times. This helps to aerate the flour and combine the cornstarch into the mixture.

What Makes Cake Flour Special?

Cake flour produces a much finer, tender crumb and fluffy texture. Because the texture is finer, cake flour weighs less than all-purpose flour and has a slightly lower protein content.

Is Cake Flour Gluten-Free?

While cake flour does produce less gluten than other flours, it is still made from wheat and therefore not recommended for those with gluten intolerance.