DIY Homemade Cake Flour Substitute
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Be prepared in a pinch with this super easy DIY Cake Flour hack. Two ingredients and literally minutes are all it takes to learn this helpful kitchen skill.
I hate it when I am 100% certain that I have an ingredient only to be without it right when I need it most. Sometime a run to the grocery store isn’t always an easy task. Cake flour is one of those ingredients that seem to always catch me off guard. Thankfully, I learned early in my baking journey how to make homemade cake flour substitute so I never sweat it if I run out of it.
What is cake flour?
Cake flour is used in baking to produce a tender or crumbly cake crumb. It’s a low gluten protein flour allowing for looser binding aka crumbly cake crumb when compared to all-purpose flour. I use cake flour for moist tender cake recipes like my Yellow Layer Cake and Brown Sugar Pound Cake.
How to properly use cake flour substitute
Because cake flour is a specific type of wheat, making a 100% equivalent substitution isn’t possible. This substitution works best for very basic recipes like cupcakes or layer cakes but can be used for most cakes. Having tested this DIY cake flour in my favorite pound cake recipe, I found that using all DIY cake flour made the recipe more dense than I like my pound cakes to be but it definitely works. My most successful attempts with pound cakes has been with using partial amounts of the substitute.
Two ingredient diy cake flour
To make cake flour from all-purpose flour, the gluten protein has to be lessened. To achieve this, a portion of the flour is substituted by a gluten-free product such as cornstarch.
All-purpose flour– You want to be sure to use all-purpose flour. Using bleached or unbleached is fine. Bleached flour however is softer and finer due to chemical treatment. If that bothers you, unbleached flour will work kist as well.
Cornstarch– My go-to brand is Argo Corn Starch but I like a good store label bargain when I find them. Pure cornstarch is naturally gluten-free, so be sure to check the packaging when purchasing.
Cake flour recipe
The base recipe for cake flour is 1 cup all-purpose flour minus 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. According to King Arthur’s Baking website, the weight of a cup of flour is 120 grams and contains 16 tablespoons. So that means that each tablespoon of flour weighs about 7.5 grams. The weight of a tablespoon of cornstarch is about the same, 7 grams.
Accurately measured ingredients
Whether you plan to make a large batch or a single batch of cake flour, you will need to know how to accurately measure flour HERE. In that post, I discuss in detail the cruciality and methods of properly measuring flour.
Kitchen scale
Using a kitchen scale, weigh 106 grams (14 tablespoons) of flour. Add 14 grams (2 tablespoons) of cornstarch. The final weight should be 120 grams. Sift the mixture to combine before use.
Scoop and level
Using the scoop and level method, measure out 1 cup of flour. Place the flour in a bowl and remove 2 leveled tablespoons of flour. To the flour, add 2 leveled tablespoons of cornstarch. Again, sift the ingredients to use as desired.
Large batch cake flour storage
A large batch of cake flour to have on hand is a smart idea. Make as much or as little as you need but 8 cups seems a good number for multiple recipes.
Measure out 848 grams (7 cups) flour and 112 grams (16 tablespoons) of cornstarch. Sift it together and store in a large airtight container (aff link). It will keep as long as the oldest expiration date on the ingredients.
Usage
Homemade cake flour can replace store-bought in any recipe. Try with any of these wonderful recipes!
Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Upside Down Angel Food Cupcakes
Japanese Strawberry Shortcakes
Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cake
Fresh Strawberry Ombre
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DIY Homemade Cake Flour
Ingredients
- 14 tbsp all-purpose flour (116 g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch (14 g)
Instructions
- Sift the flour and cornstarch together. Use as needed.
This is going to save me a lot of last minute trips to the grocery store!