DIY Cake Flour Substitute
Cake Flour makes cakes and cupcakes so tender and so pillow-soft!
Storebought Cake flour is bleached flour with a lower protein content than all-purpose flour; it has about 7% protein.
Although you can’t change the very structure of the flour itself like store-bought bleached cake flour, You can make a DIY cake flour that gives you lighter flour with less protein than just all-purpose flour by itself.
In this DIY Cake flour recipe, I´m not using corn starch but potato starch, and what a difference it makes in cakes; it makes such tender and soft cakes.
All-purpose flour gives body to cakes, making them moist and delicious, but if you add potato starch, it provides structure and lightness in cakes without adding gluten.
When used in the correct proportion with all-purpose flour, you get cake flour.
Before you start
Read the recipe thoroughly; make sure you have everything you need.
For all the step-by-step pictures, scroll to → Notes and click on the clickable link so you can see the texture of the cake and cupcakes made with this DIY Cake Flour.
For questions related to my recipes, ask me on my inbox on Instagram @passionforbaking to reply to you with an audio message.
Bakers note
When choosing all-purpose flour for your DIY cake flour, opt for a brand with a gluten (protein) level of 8-9%. Flour with a lower gluten content is key to achieving a tender texture in your cakes or cupcakes. To check the gluten level, look at the protein percentage listed on the nutrition information panel found on the back of the flour package.
Potato starch, a bright-white powder, is a pure and flavorless starch ideal for our purpose. I recommend using the brand Bob's Red Mill for its consistent quality. Note that in Scandinavia, potato starch may be labeled as potato flour. However, it's crucial to avoid substituting potato starch with cornstarch, as this will alter the texture and flavor of your cake, potentially making it resemble cornbread.
DIY Cake flour
If using an all-purpose flour with 8% Protein use:
- 318 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 82 grams Potato Starch (preferably organic)
If using an all-purpose flour with 9% Protein use:
- 306 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 94 grams Potato Starch (preferably organic)
If using an all-purpose flour with 11% Protein use:
- 248 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 152 grams Potato Starch (preferably organic)
If using an all-purpose flour with 12% Protein use:
- 228 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 172 grams Potato Starch (preferably organic)
If using an all-purpose flour with 13% Protein use:
- 208 grams All-Purpose Flour
- 192 grams Potato Starch (preferably organic)
DIY Cake Flour
- Opt for plain all-purpose flour with 8-9% gluten. Look for labels suggesting it's ideal for cakes. Mixing all-purpose flour with potato starch enhances the cake's tenderness. Finding all-purpose flour with lower protein, around 8%, can be challenging in regular supermarkets but is commonly available in Asian grocery stores, like the 'Purple Orchid Brand Low Gluten Wheat Flour'.
- To make DIY Cake Flour: Whisk your chosen all-purpose flour and potato starch together in a large bowl. Then sift the mixture 5-7 times. This not only blends the ingredients but also aerates them, closely replicating the super fine texture of commercial cake flour, which is known for being sifted multiple times to achieve its lightness.
- Store: Keep the flour in an airtight container at room temperature, where it will remain usable for up to 2 months.
- This DIY Cake Flour is particularly effective in recipes where you cream the butter and sugar together before adding the other ingredients. However, based on my experience, I recommend not using this homemade version for recipes that utilize the reverse creaming method were i use semi-cold butter (where you mix the flour and sugar first, then add the butter). The reason is that the homemade mixture has a slightly higher protein content than commercial cake flour, which can affect the texture of cakes made with the reverse creaming method.
- This mixture is a great alternative for when you're in a pinch or prefer a homemade option. It's ideal for creating light, fluffy cakes and other baked goods where a delicate crumb is desired.
For step by step pictures of how to make the
→ DIY Cake Flour Substitute
Click → here
