how to make cake flour

Cake Flour – some baking recipes call for this specific flour which has less protein than all-purpose flour and helps to make cakes light and airy. What follows is an easy way to make cake flour at home when you find you don't have any on hand.

Do you have that box of cake flour in your pantry?

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Or is it a product that you hardly ever use, yet you come across a recipe every now and again that calls for it?

At any given time, I'll have one here in the 365 pantry, but on the occasion that there isn't a back-up box I have to figure out a solution, especially when I'm right in the middle of a recipe.
Did you hear me grumble right there?

SAVE THIS CAKE FLOUR PIN TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!

Flour and corn starch in a fine mesh sieve.

I know that's never happened to you – you're in the middle of making something, thinking you have enough of whatever-it-is you need, only to discover that your son has raided your chocolate chip stash or that when holding the box of cake flour that it certainly "felt" like two cups, but really just contained one.

Cake Flour Substitute

Well, I've got the solution.
You make it yourself with just two ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry:

all-purpose flour

and cornstarch

See, youcanuse all-purpose flour explicitly in cakes, but they'll be a bit more dense.
Like some people I know. haha
Ok, I'll stop. I didn't mention any names! 😉
The flour that you want to use for cakes on the other hand, has less gluten and will give your cake layers great structure and texture.
And I don't know about you, but I'm into structure and texture when it comes to my cakes!

How to store cake flour

In regards to storing it, I want to let you know the best way to do that, and if it needs to be refrigerated or frozen since it's a product you may not use too often.
There are many kinds of cake flour out there and King Arthur Flour (KAF) has a great Unbleached Cake Flour that I've used.
So, I went directly to the source (KAF) today and talked to Jonathan. He said (and he gave me permission to quote him. Thanks, Jonathan!

There really isn't one correct answer to this, Lynne. Cake flour is quite shelf stable, so you don't have to worry about rancidity. Instead, your biggest issue is bugs. That's why we suggest storing flour in airtight containers in your pantry. Only whole grains such as rye or whole wheat need to be frozen. However, if your home is relatively pest free, you can store them right in the container they come in.
…Freezing really only helps keep whole grains from going rancid. We never suggest to use products beyond their best by dates, but you have some wiggle room for processed flours.

Recipes that use DIY Cake Flour

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Citrus Layer Cake
Oreo Cake
Orange Spice Cake with Cran-Raspberry Filling and Vanilla Bean Frosting
7Up Pound Cake
Mississippi Mud Cake
Lemon Ricotta Pound Cake

So, there you have it.
I also found the post Joy the Baker did on The Best Cake Flour Substitute very informative about why cake flour is so special in baking.
This post I'm sharing with you today is thanks to Miss Amanda's over at I Am Baker.

Sifting flour and corn starch together.

medium bowl
sifter or fine mesh sieve

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons corn starch

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Place the one cup of flour into a sifter.
Remove two tablespoons of the flour, placing it back into the flour container.
Add the two tablespoons of cornstarch to the sifter and sift together.
Sift together a second time before using.
You will do this for each cup of cake flour needed in your recipe.

You can make your own cake flour at home. - a great thing to do if you don't use it that often.

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This post was originally published in May, 2014. As of May 2021, it has been updated in format and with pictures.