Is cake flour and all purpose flour the same

For the longest time I avoided recipes with cake flour in them. I didn’t really know what it was, or where I could get it, or why I needed to use it. Regular all-purpose flour seemed fine to me.

It turns out…cake flour is very easy to get (it’s at most grocery stores these days) and it makes a HUGE difference when it comes to baking cakes.

So today, I am going to tell you the difference between all-purpose flour and cake flour and when you should be using each.

I won’t bore you with the science behind it all, but basically, the difference is in the amount of protein each flour has.

All-purpose is a much sturdier flour with 10-12% protein. This means that all-purpose flour contains more gluten giving your final baked goods a specific hearty texture.

This is great for cookies and brownies and pie crust, but cakes that call exclusively for all purpose flour will have more of a dense and chewy texture.

On the other hand, cake flour only contains 6-8% protein. It has a lighter and more velvety texture, and also is a little bit lighter in color. The lower protein count creates a more tender and delicate final product.

This is ideal when you are making cakes and cupcakes to get that light and fluffy texture. It will also produce less pockets of air within the cake when it bakes. Cake flour is also great for things like muffins, pancakes, and biscuits!

Sometimes I use a combination of the two flours because the cake flour is not sturdy enough to stand up on it’s own, but I still want to get some of that soft texture the cake flour brings. You can see I use both flours in this Piñata Cake recipe and in this Birthday Cake Cookie recipe.

Like I said earlier, cake flour is readily available at most US grocery stores these days.

Some of my favorite brands are Swan’s Down, King Arthur Flour, and Softasilk. They are all great products and will yield excellent results.

But, if you find yourself in a pinch (or in Europe where it is more difficult to find) – don’t panic! You CAN use all purpose flour as a substitute with a little doctoring. It will not give you the exact same results as pure cake flour, but it will give you a much lighter textured final product than solely using all purpose flour would.

If you’ve ever wondered about cake flour, all your questions are answered here! Learn all about why this ingredient is often used in recipes, what it is, where to get it, and how it’s used.

I’ve been using cake flour in my cake and cupcake recipes since way before I ever even started this website. If you’ve been tuning in to my Live recipe demos (11am EDT on Facebook and Instagram!), then you’ve probably heard me explain why.

It’s one of the number one questions I get asked by readers. So I thought it was about time I break it all down and explain it in a post.

This is going to be the first in a series of non-recipe posts! I’m tentatively titling the series “Bake like a Boss: tips & tricks that will take your baking to the next level.” What do you think?

So, today’s topic is cake flour. I have a lot of cake and cupcake recipes on this site, and most of them call for cake flour.

WHAT IS CAKE FLOUR?

Cake flour is a flour that is very finely milled from soft winter wheat. It has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour, and it is finer, lighter, and softer. It’s also bleached, so the color is paler and the grain is less dense.

Because of the lower protein content, cake flour produces less gluten. You know when you’re making bread and it gets that chewy, elastic texture to it? So yummy right?

Well, it’s good when you’re talking about soft pretzels, but it’s really not so good when you’re talking about cakes.

When it comes to cakes, we want them to be light, soft, and tender, with a fine, close crumb. And that is exactly what you will get if you use cake flour!

The first time I baked a cake with cake flour, I was astonished. It sounds silly, but it was kinda life-changing for me. I could not get over the difference it made in that cake.

Ever since then, I swear by it! I mean, if you’re going to go to the trouble of baking a cake from scratch, wouldn’t you want it to be the best possible cake? Ever since that first cake, all those (cough! cough!) years ago, I’ve always made sure to keep cake flour in my pantry.

WHERE DO YOU GET CAKE FLOUR?

Cake flour is pretty easy to find here in the US. I’ve never been to a supermarket that doesn’t carry it. It’s always found in the baking aisle, right in the same general area as all-purpose flour.

There are all sorts of flours: bleached all-purpose, unbleached all-purpose, bread flour, pastry flour, whole wheat flour… the list goes on and on. Cake flour is just another one of those, unique in its purpose, and it can be found right alongside all the others.

It can also be ordered online. Click here to see several different options.

Some of my favorite brands are Softasilk, Swan’s Down, King Arthur Flour, and Bob’s Red Mill. They are all great products and will yield excellent results.

If you do not live in the US, you might have a little more difficulty. As far as I know, there is nothing quite the same available in Europe. Cake flour is NOT “self-raising flour,” and it is NOT “sponge flour.” The closest thing would be “plain flour,” sifted with a little cornstarch (see “Cake Flour Substitute” below).

CAN I JUST USE ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR INSTEAD OF CAKE FLOUR?

In a pinch, yes. But if you really want to bake like a boss, I’d highly recommend keeping a box of cake flour in your pantry.

If you use all-purpose flour, you will notice that your cakes and cupcakes will have more of an open crumb. In other words, there will be bigger pockets of air within the cake.

They will also be a little more dense and chewy. I prefer the light, soft texture of cakes that have been baked with cake flour.

CAKE FLOUR SUBSTITUTE

If you’re still not convinced, or if you live in a part of the world where cake flour is not available, you can create a reasonable facsimile by replacing 2 tablespoons (for every cup) of all-purpose flour with cornstarch.

Cornstarch has very little protein and it will help to lighten the all-purpose flour. Depending upon where you are in the world, it may go by the name “corn flour.” It is white and powdery. It is NOT corn meal, which is usually yellow and gritty.

Sift the flour and cornstarch together, then measure, either by weight or by lightly spooning into a measuring cup and then leveling off. NEVER pack flour into a measuring cup!

With that said, just bear in mind that this substitution is still not exactly the same thing as cake flour, and so the results will be better but not identical.

Most of the recipes here on Baking a Moment are measured by cups and teaspoons, because that’s the way the majority of my readers bake. But if you prefer to measure your ingredients by weight, be sure to check out my free printable Weight Conversion Chart.

IS CAKE FLOUR GLUTEN-FREE?

No, cake flour is not gluten-free. It is still made from wheat. While it does produce less gluten than all-purpose flour, it’s still not recommended for people who have a gluten intolerance.

If you want to bake a gluten-free cake or cupcake, substitute all the flour in the recipe for a gluten-free flour blend. Look for one that subs 1 for 1 (in other words, 1 cup of gluten-free flour is equivalent to 1 cup of all-purpose flour). Here are some good options:

• King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
• Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour
• Cup4Cup Multi-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
• Pamela’s Products Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour Blend
• Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour
• Namaste Foods Gluten-Free Organic Perfect Flour Blend

WHAT CAN I USE CAKE FLOUR FOR?

Obviously cake flour is great for cakes. But what if you don’t bake a lot of cakes and you want to use up what you have left over?

Good news! Cake flour is great in all kinds of recipes. Any time you’re baking something that wants to be airy and delicate, cake flour is a great option.

Here are a few examples:

1. Scones
2. Biscuits
3. Muffins
4. Pancakes
5. Waffles
6. Quick Breads

But I would stick with all-purpose flour for things like cookies or pie crust, and use bread flour for anything yeasted (such as pizza dough or dinner rolls.

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