Cake Flour

j s. (Q&A ID 4455)

Hi.

Are there any uses for cake flour other than cake? I found a box at the back of the cupboard and have determined that it is not a good substitute for all-purpose in cookies, is passable when mixed with almond flour for an almond cake, and is "ok" in a chocolate cake recipe written for cake flour, but it has the texture of a boxed mix or a supermarket cake. Is there any way to make it more like all-purpose? I missed out on my usual bag of King Arthur all-purpose during the hoarding frenzy.

Thanks, js

Lynn C. (Q&A ID 662)

Hi JS - Cake flour is lower in protein than all-purpose flour (between 3-6%, depending on brand) and, therefore, yields a cookie or cake with a fine, delicate crumb. You can try substituting cake flour for all-purpose by either weighing the flour - use the amount in a recipe written for all-purpose flour - or using 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour for each cup of all-purpose flour. Obviously this is not a perfect science and, therefore, not a perfect substitution but it may get you closer to the texture you are looking for with all-purpose flour. Hope it works for you! Best, Lynn C.

j s. (Q&A ID 4455)

Lynn:

Yes, the crumb is a bit too delicate for my taste. I did weigh the ingredients for the chocolate/cake flour recipe, but perhaps I'll try adding a bit more next time.

Thank you for the response,

--js