Homemade Cake Flour
Learning how to make cake flour is so easy! Here’s how to make homemade cake flour, plus my favorite ways to use it.
Homemade Cake Flour Recipe
When I got ready to bake up Madeline’s Birthday Cake Cupcakes last week for our family party night, I noticed that I was out of cake flour.
I didn’t want to head out for another errand just to pick up a box of flour after spending the morning at various craft and party stores picking up the remaining items on my party list.
I was also out of buttermilk, but I already knew a good homemade buttermilk substitute. A quick message to my friend Shaina on Skype was returned with the answer I needed.
“Okie dokie, then,” I said and proceeded to bake up some scrumptious cupcakes for my birthday girl using this easy DIY cake flour substitute. I wouldn’t use this all the time, but it is nice when you’re in a pinch.
Since I didn’t know about this handy substitution, I am guessing that a few of you probably did not know about it either. Thanks again, Shaina, for sharing this!
Click HERE to save this recipe for Homemade Cake Flour Substitute!
What is Cake Flour?
Unless you’re an avid baker like me, you might be looking for a cake flour substitute because you have no clue what it even is. In a nutshell, cake flour is a finely milled flour that contains less protein.
It’s typically blanched and is most often used in cakes that need to be light and airy (think: angel food cake).
Cake Flour vs All-Purpose Flour
The main difference between cake flour and all-purpose flour is the protein content. According to The Kitchn, cake flour contains around 8% protein, and all-purpose has a little more than that.
Why does the protein content matter? Because the proteins become gluten when the flour is added to cake batter. The less gluten in the flour, the airier your cake will be.
What’s in Homemade Cake Flour?
To make a DIY cake flour substitute, you’ll need all-purpose flour and cornstarch. Seriously, that’s it! Yes, the all-purpose flour isn’t as finely milled as store-bought cake flour, but in a pinch this combo will work.
How to Make Cake Flour
To make a cup of homemade cake flour, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to a 1-cup measuring cup. Fill the remaining space with all-purpose flour. Pour mixture into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Proceed with the recipe as instructed.
I’ve given instructions on how to scale this basic recipe up as needed. If you need to make a cake flour substitute and aren’t sure what ratios to use, please leave me a comment and I’ll do my best to respond ASAP!
Can I Make Homemade Cake Flour in Bulk?
Yes, you can make a lot of this DIY cake flour substitute and store it in your pantry to have on hand at all times. Just note that you’ll need to sift the cake flour substitute before adding it to any recipe since you won’t be measuring out the cornstarch each time.
Is There a Cornstarch Substitute I Can Use?
Unfortunately, no. If you have a corn allergy or don’t have any cornstarch on hand, you can’t make this homemade cake flour.
Ways to Use Cake Flour
There are any number of cake flour uses to try, but a few of my favorite things to make with this special kind of flour are:
- Banana Streusel Snack Cake
- Chicken Pot Pie with Buttermilk Biscuit Crust
- Cherry Limeade Cupcakes
- Flaky Biscuits with Cheddar and Ham
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- White Chocolate Chip, Apricot, Pistachio Cookies
- Vanilla Sour Cream Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies
Are you drooling yet? There are so many ways to use cake flour.
Play around with using homemade cake flour in your favorite baked goods and see if you can taste the difference. The added cornstarch makes cookies extra soft and chewy, and cakes turn out fluffier and better somehow!
More Kitchen DIYs:
No matter what you’re baking, it’s so important that you know How to Separate Eggs. Sometimes that little bit of yolk left in the whites can ruin a recipe, so definitely make sure you’re doing it right!
Made a batch of cookie dough with your cake flour substitute but aren’t ready to bake them all right now? Here’s How to Freeze Cookie Dough for later.
Whether you love to bake or simply like fun oatmeal and smoothie toppings, you need to know How to Toast Coconut so you can have it on hand whenever the craving hits.
Skip the store-bought version and make Homemade Croutons instead. This is a great way to use up stale bread, plus you’ll avoid all those preservatives found in the pre-made variety.
Did you know crystallized honey is still safe to eat? Don’t toss it out! Instead, read up on How to Decrystallize Honey so nothing goes to waste.
What are your favorite DIY Kitchen Substitutes?
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How to Make Cake Flour
Learning how to make cake flour is so easy! Here's how to make homemade cake flour, plus my favorite ways to use it.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
Instructions
For 1/2 cup Cake Flour:
Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to a 1/2 cup measuring cup. Fill the remaining space with all-purpose flour. Pour mixture into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Proceed with the recipe as instructed.
For 1 cup Cake Flour:
Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill the remaining space with all-purpose flour. Pour mixture into a small bowl and whisk to combine. Proceed with the recipe as instructed.
For 2 cups Cake Flour:
Combine 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour in a bowl. Whisk gently to sift the mixture together. Proceed with the recipe as instructed.
Notes
Homemade cake flour can be prepared in bulk and stored in an airtight container in your pantry. Make sure to sift the flour each time you use it since you won't be measuring out the cornstarch each time.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 236Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
Jo Green says
Oh great! This will be helpful if I am in a pinch. Thanks for sharing!
Sherilyn @ Wholepromise says
I love making my own flours and grinding them. Really practical info here – great post!
Laura (Blogging Over Thyme) says
Wow! I never knew this–its amazing the substitutes and easy solutions that are out there. I wish there was a book full of them! 🙂
I’ll definitely use this tip at some point. Thanks for sharing!
Suzi says
I love cornstarch – helps reduce prickly heat rash, as well as diaper rash, primary ingredient in my favorite vanilla pudding and now I can make yummy cakes anytime. Thank you.
Kristin says
Thank you! I always run out of cake flour and never want to fight the lines at the store just for a box of it!
Jen at The Three Little Piglets says
Great tip! I’m always finding myself mixing up a substitute for bisquick when I come across a recipe that calls for it – it’s just not something I normally buy or keep in my pantry.
Sukaina says
cake flour is rather expensive here in dubai so i always make my own! exactly the same as above 🙂
Brandie (@ Home Cooking Memories) says
This is so helpful to me – I didn’t realize there was a substitute!
Ali @ Gimme Some Oven says
That’s wild! I actually just learned the cornstarch tip and tried it out earlier this week. I agree — so much more convenient than making another trip to the store! 🙂
Amy @ A Little Nosh says
I’ve never actually bought cake flour. I always use AP or wheat, so I either substitute, or avoid the recipe. Now I don’t have to avoid the recipe!
Amanda says
Ok, so I JUST wrote a post on this! Your is laid out so beautifully and easy to understand. Perfection as always Katie!
Deborah says
I love this because I don’t need cake flour enough to usually justify buying a whole box! Definitely saving this!
Amber | Bluebonnets & Brownies says
This is awesome. You know why? I can’t usually find King Arthur Flour cake flour around here, and all my grocery store sells is the horrible bleached kind. I don’t need chemicals in my cupcakes, thank you very much!
Girls' Guide to Guns and Butter says
So cornstarch is what it takes? I’ll be darned. That’s great to know, I hate the supermarket stuff, so I want to do this with the organic flour I buy in bulk.
Frostine says
I’ve never tried this, but now I’m going to have to. I recently did a comparison of cake flour vs. all-purpose flour on my blog. This would be a handy tip to pass on. Thanks for sharing it!
Carrie@Baeaholic Mama says
Oh I love this! I’ll save this for the next time I run out of cake flour! I often find myself in the same situation when I’m out of things…. its normally buttermilk and I do the DIY buttermilk allot!