Cake flour is a must-have ingredient for bakers looking to create delicate, tender cakes and pastries. But, don’t worry if you don’t have any; this homemade cake flour is made with just two simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand! Use it for baking light and fluffy cakes, cupcakes, and pastries with a professional bakery finish. Give it a try when making my Perfect Bakery Style White Cake.
What is Cake Flour?
With a lower protein content of 7-8% compared to all-purpose flour (10-12%), cake flour is a specialized flour made from soft wheat that is finely milled for a fine texture. Cake flour helps to absorb more moisture which leads to a more stable structure and even rising of cakes. Using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour in a recipe that calls for it can result in a heavier, denser product.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Flour: You will need one cup of all-purpose flour for every 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Cornstarch: Replacing 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour with cornstarch helps lower the protein content of the flour, which is what cake flour is. If you don’t have cornstarch, you could also use potato starch or tapioca flour.
Comparing Homemade Cake Flour to Storebought
Although homemade cake flour and store-bought cake flour have similar properties, there are some slight differences between them. One of the main differences is that store-bought cake flour is usually bleached, which can affect its texture and flavor, while homemade cake flour is not. Another difference is that store-bought cake flour is more finely ground than homemade flour, which can make a difference in the final texture of your baked goods. But, it is a great substitution when needed!
How to Store Homemade Cake Flour
If you want to make a big batch of cake flour, it will last up to 6 months. Be sure to keep the flour in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. When ready to use, sift the flour to redistribute any ingredients that may have settled during storage.
Homemade Cake Flour
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
- Measure out one cup of all-purpose flour.
- Remove two tablespoons of flour from the cup.
- Add two tablespoons of cornstarch. Sift together.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months.
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Love your web site!
Thank you!
Hi Amanda, thank you for the recipe Homemade Cake Flour. I live in Germany and in Germany there ist no chance of buying cake flour 😭
Regards, Christa
I love these tips!!!! Yay!!!!
I’m making a bunch of cake flour and saving it for emergencies during the year!!!!
Thank you!!!
I have enjoyed many of your recipes
For Christmas I made the Salted carmel cookie bars. They were a BIG hit. Today I’m trying your homemade , easy to handle pie crust.
Thank you for being the beautiful woman that you are. I commend you for all of your success. Keep striving to be the best you can always be it truly inspires me to know how humble and kind you are. Thank you again.
Looks fantastic, this is a make,
It’s wonderful! Thank you for your recipe. I’m from Mauritius island. Be blessed. 🤗🥰
I need your help to improve my knowledge n skill in Bakery n pastry, thank a lot
Thanks for sharing your knowledge.God bless you
Soon cool and easy !!!thanks
Thank you for your recipe for making cake flour. Do you not need to weigh cake flour like the chefs suggest when measuring all purpose flour or self-rising flour? One cup equals 4-1/4 ounces or 120 grams. They say it is the most accurate way to measure.
Would it not be simpler to just put 2 Tbl. of cornstarch in the cup and level off with flour??
That’s what I was going to suggest. Eliminates a step!
Well that makes sense 🙂 Good idea! Thanks!
Hi Amanda I am your new subscriber. I really appreciate all your works from cooking to baking. My question if I make Cake flour for 5 cups and how much for cornstarch by a cups. Thank you and it’s nice to meet you here.
Thank you