Cake Flour Substitute

"Cake Flour: Flour that's milled from soft wheat with a lower protein and gluten content than other flours. It has a fine uniform texture, well suited to lighter baked goods which do not need strong structure." ~ Culinary Dictionary.

Accepted that cake flour makes for the best option for people who are primarily gluten intolerant, as it contains the lowest amount of gluten among all types of flours. But, the fact that it contains the lowest content of protein of about 6 - 8%, in comparison to other flour varieties is something to consider. Also, cake flour is definitely more expensive. But let's face it, even if all the other factors are not severe enough to make us hunt for a substitute for cake flour, then the fact that all ingredients are not always available in the kitchen, surely can. Running to the bakery in the middle of a cake recipe is extremely cumbersome and most of us hate to do it. So, here are some viable cake flour substitute concoctions that you could try in case of a cake flour emergency.

Cake Flour Alternative
Cake flour is undoubtedly the finest when it comes to texture and help create soft and spongy delightful cakes that melt in the mouth. So, there are very few alternatives that can match up to the texture provided by cake flour to cakes. But here are a few things that come very close when mixed and executed in the right proportions.

All-Purpose Flour and Cornstarch: Take ¼th cup of cornstarch and 1¾th cup of pre-bleached and sieved all-purpose flour. Place the cornstarch at the bottom of the bowl and then pour the all-purpose flour on it. Then simply carry on with the dessert recipe by mixing this with the other dry constituents of the delicacy. This will substitute for 2 cups of cake flour. For one single cup of cake flour substitution, you can simply reduce the measurements by adding 15 g (approximately 2 tablespoons) of cornstarch with 85 g (¾th cup) of all-purpose flour. When it comes to all-purpose flour vs. cake flour, the biggest advantage that the former has over latter is, that all-purpose flour has a protein content of 10 - 12%. So, it is undoubtedly a more nutritious option. Also, some people who cannot opt for cornstarch and are looking for a viable cornstarch substitute, use only all-purpose flour as a substitute for cake flour. All they do is that, if the recipe asks for 1 cup of cake flour, they measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour and then reduce it by 2 tablespoons. Bleached and enriched all-purpose flour has high quotient of iron, protein and vitamin B and a low content of saturated fats and sodium, making it ideal for people advised to consume low-sodium diets. It is also treated, so as to make it a good baking option with a relatively smoother texture, if not as fine as cake flour.

Pastry Flour: This flour is very similar in texture to cake flour, given that cakes and pastries themselves are very close cousins. But it has about 8 - 11% of proteins which is higher than cake flour. This flour has a lower starch content than cake flour and helps in baking cakes that are only slightly less delicate and fragile than those made with cake flour.

If you want to substitute self-raising cake flour, you can always do so. But, the self-raising sponge flour variety has about 8 - 11.5% of proteins and is, therefore, a better option. Self-raising flours also make for a good baking powder substitute, as they have none of the side effects induced by this leavening agent and yet make your cakes all fluffy and spongy.

So, there you have some fantastic cake flour substitutes, which can be used as baking alternatives without much ado. These substitutes also do not affect the taste or texture of the resultant cake drastically, if mixed intelligently and carefully. Remember you shall never know what makes for great, or in some cases better substitutes for cake flour, until you experiment, even if out of dire necessity, as necessity is the mother of invention!