Out of Cake flour, one case
How to substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use All-purpose flour + cornstarch
Per cup of cake flour
1 cup minus 2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp cornstarch
For each cup of cake flour, measure 1 cup of all-purpose flour, take out 2 tablespoons, add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, and sift the two together twice. The cornstarch lowers the protein so the crumb stays soft. This gets close to cake flour in butter cakes, cupcakes and muffins. It does not match it in angel food or chiffon cake, where real cake flour is worth buying.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- The tweak —
- Sift the flour and cornstarch together twice so the starch is evenly spread, then measure again if the recipe calls for sifted flour.
- Best for —
- layer cakes and cupcakes
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full cake flour card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 cup cake flour | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All-purpose flour + cornstarchlayer cakes and cupcakes | 1 cup minus 2 tbsp flour + 2 tbsp cornstarchTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Pastry flourcakes and cupcakes | 1 cupTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons shortmuffins, snack cakes and quick breads | 1 cup minus 2 tbspYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Self-rising floursimple butter cakes and cupcakes | 1 cupYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Bread flour | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
All-purpose flour + cornstarch
no change in flavor; the crumb is a little less fine
Cornstarch has no gluten-forming protein, so swapping 2 tablespoons of it into each cup of all-purpose flour brings the blend nearer to the low protein of cake flour.
- Best for
- layer cakes and cupcakes, pound cake and coffee cake, muffins and tender cookies
- Prep
- Sift the flour and cornstarch together twice so the starch is evenly spread, then measure again if the recipe calls for sifted flour.
- Where it fails
- Angel food, chiffon and other foam cakes, which rely on the very fine, bleached starch of real cake flour: they rise less and the crumb is coarser. The blend is also slightly less white.
Bleached all-purpose flour gets closer to cake flour than unbleached.
Pastry flour
no change in flavor
Pastry flour sits between cake flour and all-purpose flour in protein, so it needs no cornstarch.
- Best for
- cakes and cupcakes, biscuits, scones and pie crust
- Where it fails
- It is still slightly stronger than cake flour, so the lightest sponge cakes come out a touch firmer. Whole wheat pastry flour is a different thing and makes a heavier, darker cake.
All-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons short
no change in flavor; a firmer, breadier bite
With no cornstarch in the house, using a little less all-purpose flour keeps the batter from turning heavy. The protein is unchanged, so the crumb is sturdier.
- Best for
- muffins, snack cakes and quick breads, cookies that call for cake flour, when there is no cornstarch
- Where it fails
- A fine white layer cake comes out denser and chewier, with a more open crumb. Stir as little as possible once the flour goes in.
Self-rising flour
slightly salty if the recipe's salt is left in
Self-rising flour is milled from soft wheat, so its protein is lower than all-purpose. It already contains baking powder and salt.
- Best for
- simple butter cakes and cupcakes, biscuit-style cakes and cobblers
- Prep
- For each cup, leave out 1 ½ tsp of the recipe's baking powder and ¼ tsp of its salt.
- Where it fails
- Any recipe where you cannot remove the leavening: for each cup used, leave out 1 ½ tsp baking powder and ¼ tsp salt. If the recipe has less baking powder than that, the cake over-rises and sinks.
Bread flour
chewy and bready
Bread flour has the most protein of the white flours, the opposite of what a cake needs.
- Best for
- bread and pizza dough, not cake
- Where it fails
- It makes a tough, chewy, tunnelled cake. Even with cornstarch added it stays stronger than plain all-purpose flour. Use all-purpose flour with cornstarch.
Tips for substituting cake flour
5 tips- Do the swap in the measuring cup: put 2 tbsp cornstarch in a 1-cup measure, spoon in all-purpose flour to fill it, and level it off. That is 1 cup of substitute.
- Sift the blend twice. Cornstarch that is not evenly mixed leaves chalky spots and an uneven crumb.
- Spoon the flour into the cup and level it; do not scoop. A packed cup can hold 2 to 3 tbsp more flour, which cancels the swap.
- Mix on low and stop as soon as the flour disappears. All-purpose flour forms gluten faster than cake flour, and overmixing is what makes the cake tough.
- For a recipe by weight, replace each 120 g of cake flour with about 105 g all-purpose flour and 15 g cornstarch.
Questions
4 questionsCan I use all-purpose flour in place of cake flour without cornstarch?
Yes, for sturdy bakes. Use 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour for each cup of cake flour and mix gently. Muffins, snack cakes and cookies are fine. A white or yellow layer cake comes out denser and a little chewy. Arrowroot starch can stand in for the cornstarch in the same 2 tablespoon amount.
How much all-purpose flour and cornstarch for 2 cups of cake flour?
Use 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour plus ¼ cup cornstarch. For 1 ½ cups of cake flour, use 1 ¼ cups plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. For 3 cups, use 2 ½ cups plus 2 tablespoons of flour and 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.
Does the all-purpose flour and cornstarch swap work for angel food cake?
It works less well there than anywhere else. Angel food and chiffon cakes get their structure from egg foam and need the fine, low-protein, bleached flour to stay tall and tender. With the substitute the cake still bakes, but it is shorter and coarser. Buy cake flour for those if you can.
Can I mix a batch of the substitute ahead of time?
Yes. Sift together 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour and ¼ cup cornstarch for every 2 cups you want, and keep it in an airtight container with your other flour. Stir or sift it again before measuring, because the cornstarch settles.