Cake flour. Let’s face facts: I never have cake flour on hand when I need it. Luckily, there’s a super easy way to turn good old all-purpose flour into cake flour, lightening your cake crumb, making it super soft and delicious. Maybe you already know this trick. It’s a good one.
Here’s a step by step. From me to you!
How to Turn All-Purpose Flour into Cake Flour
Step One: Measure out the all-purpose flour that you’ll need for your recipe.
Step Two: For every cup of flour you use, take out two tablespoons of flour and return it to the flour bin. Throw the cup of flour (minus the two tablespoons) into a sifter set over a bowl.
Step Three: Replace the two tablespoons of flour that your removed with two tablespoons of cornstarch.
Step Four: Sift the flour and cornstarch together. Sift it again, and again and again. The cornstarch and flour need to be well incorporated and the flour aerated. Sift the flour and cornstarch mixture about five times. Look at that! You just made cake flour!
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Thank you so much for this! I live in Buenos Aires and every time I try to find baking ingredients like say cake flour, I cant. This is so helpful! Now its time to make David Leite’s famous chocolate chip cookies….
This was a fantastic find! My sister and I have been craving cinnamon rolls but the recipe we want to use calls for cake flour and, of course, we have none. We shall crave no more! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
I have been using Softasilk for many years but it getting so expensive. I sell my cakes so I need this to perform the same. I see there is no baking powder or baking soda so will it rise the same in a heavy cake?
Thanks for the tip. I’m new to baking and the sound of CAKE FLOUR sounds not only expensive but also intimidating. Great I found your site. I’m learning so much from you.
Sharon,
Check the label. I believe Softasilk is just cake flour; it doesn’t have leavenings added, so this recipe should work fine for you. SELF-RISING flour, on the other hand, does have baking soda or baking powder (or both) added.
You can make your own self-rising flour, too. For each cup of all-purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix or sift to combine well. Sometimes I also blend in a 1/2 tsp. of Cream of Tartar for a lighter texture (especially for cupcakes).
If you use self-rising flour as a substitute for all-purpose flour, remember to omit the extra salt and baking powder called for in the recipe, because it’s already in the flour.
HTH!
Hi Joy. I live in the Netherlands too and can’t find cake flour. This is probably a stupid question, but I want to be sure I’m doing this right. I have a recipe that calls for 2-1/4 cups of cake flour. Just to be sure, I should measure out 2-1/4 cups of all purpose flour, take away 4-1/2 T. flour and replace it with 4-1/2 T. corn starch. Then I sift it 5 times. Now, do I use ALL of this “cake flour” that I’ve just made in my recipe, or do I measure out 2-1/4 cups from it again? Thanks for your advice!
I baked a cake with cake flour I loved it then I baked a cake with just flour it wasn’t as good it was like it was dry.I didn’t know you could make cake flour.I just bought some today & you don’t get much.I went to cooking school lol.
Thank you I love your blog.
this is really great,I love learning how to make things myself.
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