Some dessert recipes have the need for a specific flour with less protein than regular flour for a light and airy texture. This specific flour is cake flour that goes through a bleaching process to alter its starch and protein structure. This process results in a fine and more absorbent flour. It produces softer and tender cakes with a higher volume. Commercial cake flour is more expensive than regular all-purpose flour.
People buy cake flour when they don’t have any or make it at home. Some avoid it altogether because of its chemical bleaching process. This process uses chlorine or benzoyl peroxide. They take a natural and healthier option for soft and light cakes. They chose a common homemade cake flour substitute for baking.
Have you used cake flour yet? Or do you already have a box in your pantry? There is no need to worry if you don’t! In this guide, you can learn how to make a cake flour substitute from all-purpose flour easily at home.
What Is Cake Flour?
Cake flour is a finely milled wheat flour with a low protein (7-9%). It produces light and airy desserts. You can use it for specific cakes and muffins. It creates less gluten as it has less protein than all-purpose flour (10-12%). The lower gluten gives a delicate and soft crumb structure to the cake. This low-protein flour is also lighter than the regular flour. It is perfect for health enthusiasts and diet lovers.
This cake flour substitute is convenient and effective in cost. It is also a readily available alternative to cake flour from the store. You can make soft and light cakes like angel food cakes or chiffon cakes from this flour. Or sponge cakes and white cakes as well. Cake flour substitute is also good for lemon meringue cake and yellow cakes. Cupcakes from this flour also turn out light and fluffy. This flour helps cakes maintain their soft and fluffy structure. The cake from this flour also doesn’t become dense or dry. It helps maintain the softness of the cake.
Cake Flour vs All-Purpose Flour: What’s the Difference?
Cake flour and all-purpose flour (AP) are not the same. These two flours are different from each other with a few differences. Cake flour has less gluten and less protein than all-purpose flour. It also has a finer texture than AP flour. This finer texture gives tenderness to the crumb of the cakes. It is perfect for light and soft cakes. AP flour gives more structure and chew, which is better for bread and cookies.
| Key Differences | Cake Flour | All-Purpose Flour |
| Protein Content | 7–9% | 10–12% |
| Texture & Milling | Finer & Powdery Consistency | Slightly Coarser |
| Best Uses | Light and Soft cakes | General baking, bread, cookies |
How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute at Home
Don’t have any cake flour at home? You don’t have to go to the store to buy it or stock it! Make it at home! But how to make a cake flour substitute at home? With just two ingredients from your pantry. But how to make a cake flour with all-purpose flour at home? Simple and easy! With no worries! You can easily go from all-purpose flour to cake flour. You will most likely love the end product of this flour. Just follow the easy steps and make this flour at home!
Ingredients & Equipment Needed to Make Cake Flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (AP)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 medium bowl
- 1 sifter or fine mesh sieve
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
Follow the easy steps to know how to make cake flour at home. They are the following:
- Measure 1 cup AP flour. No mistakes in here! The flour should be around 120 grams. Sift it into a medium glass bowl.
- Scoop out two tablespoons of the flour after leveling from the bowl. No skipping this part! Place it back in the flour container in your pantry.
- Take two tablespoons of cornstarch and level it correctly. Sift it into the same bowl. No cornstarch? Take another starch for substitution. Potato starch or arrowroot powder will also be good for substitution. Cornstarch will prevent the formation of gluten. It also gives structure to the cake.
- Sift both of them together several times to distribute them well.
- Repeat this process for each cup of cake flour for more servings.
- The DIY homemade cake flour substitute is ready for baking.
This transformation from all-purpose flour to a cake flour substitute for baking is easy without any hassle or running to a commercial to buy. You can just make it at leisure!
Why Cornstarch Is Added to Cake Flour
The addition of the cornstarch to AP flour reduces overall protein content and gluten. It also softens the texture of the flour and gives structure to the cake. It makes the cake texture more tender. The flour also inhibits the formation of gluten. This prevents a tough or chewy crumb in the cake. The cornstarch helps absorb more moisture into the cake.
The resulting product of this flour mimics the qualities of the cake flour from the store. One reminder, though! You should only add a specified amount of cornstarch to AP flour. More cornstarch than the specified amount will make the cake too dry. The cake would also become crumbly. It happens due to starch retrogradation. This retrogradation makes the cake stale faster.
Different Desserts with Homemade Cake Flour
This homemade cake flour substitute is helpful in many recipes. You can use it in baking the following light and soft cakes:
- Angel Food Cakes
- Sponge Cakes
- Cupcakes
- Vanilla Cakes
- Chiffon Cakes
- Butter Cakes
- Japanese Cotton Cheesecakes
- Moist Layer Cakes
You can use it to make sugar cookies and delicate pastries. You can also make cannoli or cream puffs. All in all, there is a variety of recipes where you use this homemade cake flour substitute.
Common Mistakes When Making Cake Flour
You can make some mistakes in making cake flour at home. You should avoid them to get the best results. Or the cake will be crumbly or dry. The common mistakes that you should avoid are the following:
- You have scooped the flour with the cup directly. Or you have made some wrong measurements in the flour. It will give dry and dense cakes instead of soft cakes.
- You should measure everything correctly. The precision is important here. Fill the cup with AP flour with a spoon. Also, level it with a knife for correct measurement. You can also measure them on a kitchen scale.
- You didn’t sift the mixture or only sifted it once. It will lead to an inconsistent texture in your cakes. Sift your flour mixture several times. This combines the ingredients together and breaks up clumps. It also introduces air into it. You get a light and tender cake texture from it. A sieve is always best for even mixing of flour.
- You haven’t removed the specified amount of AP flour before the addition of cornstarch. This will lead to a higher protein content and a denser cake. You should remove two tbsp AP flour first before you mix in the cornstarch.
You will get a perfect homemade cake flour substitute for baking by avoiding these mistakes and following our tips.
Storage of Homemade Cake Flour
There are many kinds of commercial cake flours out there. There are also several unbleached cake flours, like Raw Himalayas Unbleached Cake Flour. You may not use this homemade cake flour substitute often. How to store cake flour then? This flour has a longer shelf life. You can store it in a dry place for long periods. Take no worry about it going bad or rancid. Though you would have to protect the flour from bugs.
You can place bay leaves or cloves inside the flour or in your pantry. Throw it away if there is tiny brown bugs crawling in the flour or if there is fine webbing of moth larvae. Store it in an airtight container in your pantry for bug protection.
Homemade Cake Flour vs Commercial Cake Flour
Homemade cake flour and commercial cake flour have similar properties. But there are also some differences between them. The difference is that there is a bleaching process involved in commercial cake flour. This bleaching process affects its texture and flavor. There is no bleaching in homemade cake flour.
The second difference is that the storebought is more finely ground than the homemade cake flour. Despite the differences, this homemade cake flour from AP flour is the best substitute for commercial cake flour in baking.
Conclusion
Cake flour is a special type of flour with less protein content. It makes super soft cakes and pastries. It also gives them tenderness with low gluten formation. You can use its common homemade substitute for the same results. The homemade cake flour substitute is simple to make with quick and easy steps. Learn how to make a cake flour substitute from this guide. It will surely help you make a cake flour substitute for baking with ease. You should definitely try your hand at making it.
You can also learn how to separate egg whites without breaking the yolk and how to whip egg whites to stiff peaks for baking many soft and light cakes with this cake flour from here. Make your own batch of easy homemade cake flour at home now and bake delicious and soft cakes! Happy flour making!