Make Your Own: Cake Flour Substitute

Have you ever stumbled across a delicious recipe only to discover that it requires cake flour? If you have it in the pantry, hooray. If not, you can make your own cake flour substitute in minutes.

There I was, reading a recipe for what sounded like a delicious cake.  I was inspired to head into the farmhouse kitchen to make one for my family.  I scanned through the list of ingredients, mentally placing a check mark on each line, happy to see that I had each ingredient on hand.  Then I came to cake flour and everything came to a screeching halt. 

Cake flour is all but impossible for me to purchase at the grocery store.  Each box seems to carry an allergy warning that prevents me from being able to invite the ingredient into our kitchen. We are completely peanut and tree nut free, so buying a box of cake flour that might contain both simply wasn’t an option.

I knew that cake flour was designed specifically for cake baking. In fact, each type of flour is designed to deliver differing levels of protein, gluten, and density to recipes.  Bread flour often promises a protein content in excess of 12%.  All-purpose flour typically has a protein content in the range of 11% while cake flour comes in at between 6-8%.  A lower protein content helps to create a cake that is tender, airy, and light. 

After a bit of reading, I found that I could indeed make my own cake flour substitute using two ingredients that I always have on hand in the pantry:  All-purpose flour and cornstarch.  By combining the two, I can create a flour that has a reduced protein content with less gluten, a silky texture, and the density that  cake flour is known for.  I could also sidestep peanuts and tree nuts, keeping our kitchen safe for the whole family.

This substitution is simple and I have used it with great success to bake light and delicious cakes and other baked goods.  I hope that you’ll find that it works just as well for you in your favorite recipes calling for cake flour and even those that don’t but could benefit from a flour that will help create a light and airy texture.

Once you make your own cake flour, you might want to use it to bake one of these…

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Homemade Cake Flour Substitute

Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Our food allergies prevent me from purchasing cake flour at the grocery store, but they don't keep me from making recipes that call for cake flour. This homemade cake flour substitute works well, I can control the allergens, and I can use ingredients that I already have on hand.

For each cup of cake flour called for in a recipe, you can easily use a cup of this substitute. There's no need to adjust the amount of flour used. This mixture can be used in any recipe that calls for cake flour or any baked good that might benefit from the use of a flour with a bit less protein to create something light. I use this mix in nearly all of my non-bread baking recipes.

Author: Jennifer from 1840 Farm

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

• Measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour into a small bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the bowl and whisk lightly to combine. Use as needed in any recipe that calls for cake flour.

Notes

You can mix a large quantity of this cake flour substitute together and keep it in your pantry with your flours and meals so that it is always ready to bake with. Or, you can mix it as needed.

Tried this recipe?Mention @1840Farm or tag #1840FarmFood! We can’t wait to see what you make!