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    Home » Baking Basics » Homemade Cake Flour Substitute

    Homemade Cake Flour Substitute

    Published: Mar 20, 2021 · Modified: Feb 28, 2022 by Kate · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Homemade cake flour substitute recipe! This easy cake flour substitute teaches you how to make cake flour from 2 pantry staple ingredients - all-purpose flour and cornstarch.

    Silver spoon in a bowl of cake flour.

    It's always good to know how to make some DIY kitchen substitutes!

    Whether it's because you've run out of an ingredient right when you needed it or because it isn't something you keep on-hand, this easy homemade cake flour recipe will let you whip up a batch whenever you need it.

    Luckily, it only takes 2 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to make this easy stand-in.

    Silver spoon scooping cake flour.

    Why use cake flour?

    Different types of flour have different roles in baking. Cake flour is a low protein flour, all-purpose flour is a medium protein flour, and bread flour is a high protein flour.

    The protein content varies from brand to brand, but cake flours fall from 6-9% protein versus 10-12% protein in all-purpose flour and 11-13% in bread flour.

    The lower protein content forms less gluten in baked goods. Gluten helps to give baked goods like bread their chewiness, and lower amounts of gluten make lighter and more tender cakes and cupcakes.

    Cake flour is also more finely ground than all-purpose flour. So it has a softer feel than all-purpose flour.

    Cake flour's finer texture also helps to give baked goods a soft, fine crumb and helps to make for a lighter, airier finished product.

    How to make

    It's really easy to make your own cake flour substitute, and you only need two pantry staples to make it. This substitute isn't an exact match, but it makes a great stand-in in a pinch.

    White mixing bowl filled with flour.

    For every cup of cake flour that you need, begin with 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

    Measuring spoon removing flour from a bowl of flour.

    Remove 2 tablespoons of flour from the cup, and place the remaining flour in a bowl.

    Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch into the flour in the bowl.

    Sift or whisk the flour and cornstarch together 4-5 times until the flour and cornstarch are well-combined.

    Bowl of cake flour next to eggs and a whisk.

    How to scale

    If you need more than 1 cup of flour, just scale the formula as needed.

    For instance, for 2 cups of cake flour, use 2 cups of all-purpose flour and remove ¼ cup. Add ¼ cup cornstarch to the flour.

    Storage

    Store this flour mixture in an airtight container as you would with any other flour.

    Recipes that use cake flour

    • Marble Bundt Cake
    • Homemade Funfetti Cake
    • Angel Food Cake
    • Homemade Yellow Cake Recipe

    If you’ve tried this homemade cake flour recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below. I love to hear from people who've made my recipes!

    You can subscribe to receive my latest recipe newsletters or follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for even more delicious food.

    Silver spoon in a bowl of cake flour.

    Homemade Cake Flour

    Easy DIY recipe for homemade cake flour
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Pantry Staple
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes
    Servings: 1 cup
    Calories: 515kcal
    Author: Kate @ I Heart Eating

    Equipment

    • Sifter or whisk

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Remove 2 tablespoons flour from the cup of flour. This will leave you with 14 tablespoons or ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons or 105 grams of flour.
    • Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to the flour.
    • Sift or whisk flour and cornstarch together 4-5 times, or until flour and cornstarch are well-combined.
    • Use in place of 1 cup of cake flour.

    Notes

    Nutrition values are estimates. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cup | Calories: 515kcal | Carbohydrates: 109g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 133mg | Fiber: 3g | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 5.8mg
    Tried this recipe? Rate it below. Mention @i_heart_eating on Instagram & tag #ihearteating!

    Originally published 2/1/18. Updated with photos and tips 3/20/21.

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    About Kate

    Kate got her first cookbook when she was five years old, and she hasn't stopped cooking since then! Her delicious recipes have been featured on Food Network, MSN, Better Homes & Gardens, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and more. When she's not cooking or baking, she can be found on her mini farm with her husband and her five kids.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pokemon Fan

      April 06, 2021 at 1:50 pm

      5 stars
      This makes perfect cakes.

      Reply
      • Kate

        April 06, 2021 at 8:11 pm

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
    2. Andrea

      March 30, 2019 at 10:04 am

      5 stars
      This worked out great. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Kate

        March 30, 2019 at 10:09 am

        I'm really glad! Thanks for commenting! =)

        Reply
      • Kate

        March 30, 2019 at 10:10 am

        I'm so glad! Thanks for commenting! =)

        Reply
    3. Chelsea

      February 04, 2019 at 11:27 am

      5 stars
      Very helpful! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Kate

        February 04, 2019 at 1:32 pm

        Thank you! I'm glad that it helped. =) Thanks for commenting!

        Reply

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    I’m Kate Dean- mom to five young kids, recipe developer, and photographer. Here at I Heart Eating®, I share my family’s favorite tried-and-true recipes.

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