search instagram twitter facebook pinterest chevron-right chevron-left email menu cross
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to menu-404 navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Let's Eat Cake

Let's Eat Cake is the lifestyle site for Millennial women. We’re your source for lifestyle, entertainment, fashion, beauty, jokes, puns, food news, coffee trends, and baking recipes.

  • Starbucks
  • Drink Recipes
  • Holidays
  • Nail Ideas
  • Weddings
  • Recipes
  • Jokes + Puns
  • About Us
  • Newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Terms
© 2025 Let's Eat Cake
  • Starbucks
  • Drink Recipes
  • Nail Ideas
  • Holidays
    • Valentine’s Day
    • St Patrick’s Day
    • Christmas
    • Halloween
    • Holiday Recipes
  • Weddings
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast + Brunch Recipes
    • Cakes
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • Snacks
    • TikTok Recipes
  • Jokes + Puns
Home » Baking Tips

How to Make Cake Flour

By Rebecca Swanner | July 5, 2018 | Updated on June 15, 2023 | 8 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links that we collect a share of sales from. Click here for more details.
21.2K shares
Jump to Recipe
Cake Flour

Have you ever wanted to start making a recipe and then realized, oh no. It calls for cake flour.

If all you have on hand is all-purpose flour, we’ve got you covered. I mean, unless that’s literally all you have on hand. In which case you can make uh… crackers?

Save yourself that extra trip to the store with this simple hack will create a cake flour substitute so you can get on your merry way making the cupcakes or the cake you want.*

How to Make Cake Flour

What Is Cake Flour?

Cake flour is a finely ground flour that contains less gluten than all-purpose flour (6-8% vs 10-13%). It’s great for high-ratio cakes (cakes where the sugar is greater or equal in weight to the flour) since it’s lighter than all-purpose and when you bake with it, it produces goods with soft, tender layers and a lighter, finer crumb.

Because of its lower protein/gluten content it’s really big in Los Angeles. Kidding. It’s not. It’s still a carb. Also, don’t use it to make bread.

If you are going to use it in a recipe to replace all-purpose flour, it will change the final product, and I highly recommend weighing it. One cup of cake flour weights 4.5 oz, whereas one cup of cake flour weighs 4 oz.. (If you don’t have a scale yet, I spent $10 on this kitchen scale almost ten years ago and it still works.)

Cake Flour Brands

There are a handful of brands that make cake flour, but these are the most common. Let me know in the comments if you have a favorite and why!

  • Swans Down
  • Pillsbury Softasilk
  • King Arthur Cake Flour – unbleached only
  • Bob’s Red Mill Cake Flour – unbleached only

If you’re looking for a gluten-free cake flour, this one is well-reviewed, though I have not personally tried it.

 

How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

Fluff your flour with a knife, spoon, or measuring spoon. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and scrape off the excess with a flat edge (the back edge of a knife will do, but I’ve also used the other handle of the spoon).
How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

Remove 2 tablespoons of flour for every cup you’re using.
How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

Replace with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. (2 cups = 4 tbsp. cornstarch. 1 cup = 2 tbsp. cornstarch.)
How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

Whisk the cornstarch and flour together and sift the mixture five times so it is completely blended.

Doing this it helps prevent some of the gluten forming in all-purpose flour and creating a stiffer structure (that’s what gluten does – it creates a matrix that results in tough cakes but great bread. Whoa.). That’s because cornstarch and sugar absorb some the liquid in the recipe so the flour doesn’t hog all of it.

*Adding cornstarch will change the starch makeup of your cake and as Stella Parkes points out, it may end up absorbing too much moisture and be denser than you would prefer. So, I would recommend using this in a pinch, not as a way to never buy cake flour again. And probably not for an angel food cake.

 

Let’s Eat Cake Recipes With Cake Flour

  • Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
  • Red Velvet Cupcakes
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Pina Colada Cupcakes
  • Zombie Cupcakes

How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute

4.78 from 9 votes
Print Recipe
If you need cake flour and don't have any on hand, here's how to make a cake flour substitute in a pinch!
How to Make Cake Flour
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Total Time: 5 minutes mins
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Instructions

  • Fluff flour with spoon and spoon into measuring cup. Scrape off excess with knife.
  • Pour into bowl and remove two tablespoons of flour. Place back in flour bin.
  • Add two tablespoons of cornstarch to flour.
  • Sift mixture five times.
  • Use as directed in recipe.

Notes

Not recommended as an overall replacement — only when needed for a recipe and you can't get to the store!

Video

Nutrition Facts
How to Make a Cake Flour Substitute
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 453
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cake flour
Author: Rebecca Swanner
Did you make this recipe?Leave a review below, then take a photo and tag @letseatcakeblog on Instagram so we can see it!

Cake Flour

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Rebecca Swanner
Rebecca Swanner
Pleased to meet you. I'm the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Let's Eat Cake: The world's first smart, funny lifestyle site for women.

My background is in publishing (I've worked at Parade, Men's Journal, Us Weekly, Stuff, Blender, Beachbody, and more), mostly with a focus in health, fitness, and entertainment. I've also run my own baking company and competed on Cupcake Wars, so hit me up with your baking questions!

For more details, check out my full bio or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Rebecca Swanner
Latest posts by Rebecca Swanner (see all)
  • Is Starbucks Open On Thanksgiving? Here Are Their Hours for Turkey Day 2023 - November 9, 2023
  • Dunkin’s Holiday Menu for 2023 Is Here and Includes Loaded Hash Browns and Cookie Butter Cold Brew - October 6, 2023
  • If You Can’t Find the Starbucks Green Slime Tumbler, These Etsy Ones Are the Next Best Thing - September 12, 2023
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links from Amazon and other sites that we collect a share of sales from.
21.2K shares

Read This Next

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Oat Milk: When You Aren’t Basic Enough for Almond Milk

Oat Milk: When You Aren’t Basic Enough for Almond Milk

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Red Velvet Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarKristine says

    July 5, 2018 at 5:41 pm

    Oh my goodness! How did I not know this little baking secret? Filing this away for the future, thanks!

    Reply
  2. AvatarTisha says

    July 5, 2018 at 7:01 pm

    Clever! A perfect substitute for lack of flour!

    Reply
  3. AvatarSharon says

    July 5, 2018 at 7:44 pm

    How neat that you can make your own cake flour at home. Great for if you’re in a pinch and don’t want to run out to the store for a recipe that calls for it.

    Reply
  4. AvatarJenni LeBaron says

    July 5, 2018 at 8:37 pm

    This is great. I especially appreciated learning what makes cake flour different. I had no idea how it could make all the difference in the texture.

    Reply
  5. AvatarNatalie says

    July 5, 2018 at 10:40 pm

    Such a great informative post! I never tried making cake flour myself – cheaper than store-bought for sure!

    Reply
  6. AvatarRebecca says

    March 29, 2020 at 11:45 am

    I have a question my cake flour was expired so I have to use all purpose flour but I don’t have any cornstarch what should I do now?

    Reply
    • Rebecca SwannerRebecca Swanner says

      March 30, 2020 at 8:30 pm

      If you don’t have cornstarch, you can remove use 1 cup of flour minus 2 Tbsp. as a sub for 1 cup of cake flour (but it won’t be as close).

      Reply
  7. AvatarLesley Brayson says

    October 27, 2022 at 8:17 am

    Thank you for this great tip!!

    Reply
4.78 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.
Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Trending Now

Footer

  • About Us
  • Press
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA
  • Contact
  • News
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
© 2016–2025 Let's Eat Cake
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service
21.2K shares
21.2K shares

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.