How to Make Homemade Cake Flour Substitute

A perfect cake sponge should be tender, light, and have a fluffy structure. However, many bakers struggle with achieving this. The sponge can end up dense or lacking in structure, often because of the type of flour used. One of the secrets to a delicate and soft cake lies in using cake flour, but what if you don’t have any on hand? Don’t worry—you can easily make your own cake flour substitute with just two common ingredients: all-purpose flour and cornstarch.

Sifting the flour and cornstarch together is essential to creating a fine, light texture. This quick substitute can save the day when you’re out of cake flour, while still delivering that soft, tender crumb we all love in cakes.

What is Cake Flour?

Cake flour is a finely milled, low-protein flour, typically containing around 7-9% protein, compared to 10-12% in all-purpose flour. The lower protein content means less gluten forms when you mix your batter. Less gluten results in a softer, more delicate texture—exactly what you want in cakes like vanilla cake or red velvet cake.

Here’s how different flours stack up:

  • Cake flour: Low protein, less gluten, resulting in a soft, tender texture, perfect for delicate cakes.
  • All-purpose flour: Medium protein content, moderate gluten formation, suitable for a wide range of recipes.
  • Bread flour: High protein, more gluten, creating a chewy, dense texture, ideal for breads and bagels.

Why Flour Matters in Cake Baking

The type of flour you use can make or break the texture of your cake. For recipes like chocolate cake, where cocoa powder already adds a fine, dry texture, using cake flour may not provide the necessary structure, and your cake can end up flimsy. Similarly, carrot cakes and banana cakes, which have high moisture content from fruits and vegetables, benefit from the stronger structure provided by all-purpose flour.

However, for recipes that require a light, fluffy texture—like vanilla cake, pineapple upside-down cake, or white cake—cake flour is the way to go. It also works well in recipes like a one-layer sprinkle cake, where I’ve found you can easily substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour 1:1 without any other adjustments.

How to Make Cake Flour Substitute

Running low on cake flour? You can quickly make a substitute with these steps:

  1. Sift together 14 tablespoons (110g) of all-purpose flour and 2 tablespoons (16g) of cornstarch twice. Sifting not only combines the ingredients thoroughly but also aerates them, giving the mixture a light, cake flour-like texture.
  2. Measure 1 cup from this mixture. After sifting, you’ll usually end up with about 1 cup, but the volume might increase slightly due to the added air.
  3. Now you have 1 cup of cake flour substitute ready to use in your recipe. If your recipe calls for more than 1 cup, repeat the process for each additional cup. While it’s possible to make a larger batch, I find that preparing each cup separately ensures the best results.

For ultra-delicate cakes like angel food cake or white cake, it’s still best to use real cake flour. But in most cases, this homemade version will work just as well.

Tools You’ll Need

  • Cornstarch: This is key to reducing gluten formation in the flour, mimicking the properties of cake flour. If you’re in the UK, remember that cornstarch is called “corn flour” there—but don’t confuse it with cornmeal!
  • All-purpose flour: A baking staple.
  • Sifter or fine mesh sieve: To create a light, fluffy texture by thoroughly mixing and aerating the ingredients.

Conclusion

Making your own cake flour at home is an easy solution when you’re in a pinch, and it can help ensure your cakes stay light, tender, and fluffy. With just all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and a sifter, you can whip up a cake flour substitute that will elevate your baking. While real cake flour is ideal for especially delicate recipes, this homemade version works wonders in most cakes.

Recipe Summary

Ingredients:

  • 14 tablespoons (110g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch

Instructions:

  1. Sift the flour and cornstarch together twice.
  2. Measure out 1 cup from the sifted mixture.
  3. Use in any recipe that calls for cake flour.
Written by Zane Stavra