If your recipe calls for cake flour but you don’t have any on hand, you still have options. Here’s how to make cake flour, using just all-purpose flour and cornstarch.
Why do you need to use cake flour?
Cake flour has a lower protein percentage than all-purpose flour. (King Arthur’s cake flour has a protein percentage of 10%, while all-purpose flour is 11.7%.) Because the protein in flour is what forms gluten, this means that cake flour has lower gluten-forming potential. That translates to a softer, more delicate crumb — exactly what you’re looking for in cakes.
Read more: Cake flour vs. all-purpose flour: What's the difference?
How to make cake flour
You can make your own cake flour substitute by combining all-purpose flour with a little bit of cornstarch. The cornstarch adds tenderness and lowers the overall protein content of the mixture to mimic that of cake flour.
How to make cake flour: Whisk together 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (105g) all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons (14g) cornstarch. Use in place of cake flour in a recipe, substituting by equal weight or volume.
Save time by stocking up
Of course, the easiest way to always have cake flour on hand is to keep a box in your pantry. Our Unbleached Cake Flour yields higher-rising, tender cakes with a fine, moist crumb. If you make a lot of cakes, stock up so you can always have cake flour ready, rather than having to make your own each time.
Cover photo (Golden Butter Cake) and food styling by Liz Neily.
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