Does your grocery store have the nerve to inconsistently stock cake flour? Does it drive you crazy to see recipe after recipe that calls for it, and wonder what else you can use? Good news: Cake flour is really easy to make at home. Add two tablespoons of corn starch to each cup of regular flour and sift this mixture together twice. Measure your cups of flour from this mixture.
Tips
This is brilliant! Thanks so much. I never buy cake flour because I so rarely make cakes that need it, but I’m sure the cakes I have made with all-purpose have suffered as a result. Thanks!
exactly what I needed, thanks so so much!
I’m so glad you shared this! The last time I bought cake flour it was expensive and went stale before I used it all. I always have corn starch in the house so this is perfect!
When adding the cornstarch, does adding the cornstarch make a cup or do you add 2 TBS cornstarch to 1 whole cup of flour? Thanks
Is it okay to just use plain pastry flour or should I add the cornstarch also?
Jill — It makes more than a cup. You mix them together and measure from there.
Marie — Pastry flour is not the same as all-purpose or cake flour, so I’m not entirely following.
Thanks for answering my question. I’ll never buy cake flour again.
LOVE your site! So helpful, fun to read, and full of awesome pictures. Learn (at least one) something new with every post! Thank so much :)
Hi Deb – I’ve used this “homemade” version several times over the years in my favorite banana bread when I didn’t have cake flour on hand, and it came out fine. However, I recently wanted to make a yellow cake recipe that called for cake flour, and having none, I tried this substitute. Disaster! The cake failed to rise, it was way too dense, crumb was terrible. I’ve made the same recipe in the past with true cake flour and it comes out perfectly. Not sure if it was the subsitution, or if there was some other culprit, but now I’m very hesitant to use anything but “real” cake flour. Am I the only one who has had this problem?
Hello- while doing research i came upon many sites that say to take out 2 tbsp of flour for ever cup, and add in 2 tbsp of cornstarch. you, however, do it differently. i’m not sure which one to do. has any one tried both and has an opinion?
thanks.
How do you make self rising cake flour? Is it the same for making all purpose flour self rising?
Thanks, Deb – now I’ve got 5+ lbs. of cake flour to play with without a trip to the grocery store!
Awesome. I hate having six bags of different flours sitting in my pantry! Plus I don’t make cake often enough to justify buying one more flour.
Wow! Thank you for this recipe! This will help a bunch when I’m in a bind. =)
Hi there! I have made alot of cake using a homemade cakeflour now my question is Can i store it for a long time or there is a shelf life for it.. thank and i will appreciate ur reply. :)
I have made this using tapioca flour/starch for my corn-allergic kids. It works just as well.
OMG this is perfect! Cake flour here is way overpriced. Love this. Thanks for the tapioca flour/starch tip, very useful.
I’d love to see an update about making your own cake flour. Does corn starch have an expiration date? Can you make your own self-rising cake flour?
I love your site and follow you religiously. Thanks for all the tips and tricks you pass along.
Like Bee, I would also appreciate some info on what to do with leftover ‘cake flour’. I am making your almond raspberry cake, which calls for 4 1/2 cups of cake flour. Clearly using your method for my own ‘cake flour’ will result in leftovers. How long can I store it? What is the best way to combine leftover cake flour with non cake flour going forward?
Or what is the best method to combine made ‘cake flour’ with new ‘cake flour’
Thanks for this tip!
Can you add tapioca flour to a box vake mix?
I’m going to join the people asking what to do with left over cake flour. Mine is purchased not home made, and I’d really like to use it up. Can I just use it in any cake recipe, even if it doesn’t call for cake flour? Thank you!
I’d think so! It’s especially good for cakes you’d like on the tender side, like layer cakes. I wouldn’t bother for banana bread or anything.
Hi Deb! How many grams is a cup of flour? I want to make my own cake flour for your red velvet cake recipe! xoxo
No two recipe writers agree, but I go with 130 grams.
Can you suggest some brands/specific products for storing flour and sugar (in pantry/on countertop)? The CAMBRO containers that are airtight have BPA (which I think I should avoid, though thousands of restaurants use them). It seems like so many people are in search. Nothing fancy with pop-up doohickeys. Unbreakable would be best but I’ll take whatever works best. Easy to get in and out of without toppling…Many thanks!
I use glass jars with clamp-tops but I don’t find them very often anymore…