Cooking Tip: How to Make Cake Flour*
Over the years, I have learned the value of "mise en place" (A French culinary phrase which means "putting in place" or "everything in its place"), but to be honest, cake flour is an ingredient I do not often have on hand...or do I?
I am always amazed at the resources available online these days for everything, including how to make cake flour! (Am I the only one who remembers encyclopedias and going to the library to research something? I guess I am dating myself;) Ok, I digress;)
Making cake flour (a necessary ingredient, in my opinion, for making light, tender cakes and other baked goods) is super simple and uses only two ingredients: all-purpose flour, and cornstarch.
So, here is how it is done: For every cup of flour required for a recipe, remove 2 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) of flour and add back in the same amount of cornstarch. Here's a post by http://www.thegraciouswife.com/cake-flour-substitute/, which gives a nice breakdown of the conversions.
- 1 cup of cake flour, remove 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- 1 1/2 cups of cake flour, remove 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and add 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- 2 cups of cake flour, remove 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of all-purpose flour and add 4 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- 2 1/2 cups of cake flour, remove 5 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 5 tablespoons of cornstarch.
- 3 cups of cake flour, remove 6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and add 6 tablespoons of cornstarch.
There you go friends - a clever substitution with ingredients you probably already have on hand, and you will forever have your "mise en place"!
Comment below if you have any questions or tips of your own to share.
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Happy Baking!
*A huge shout out and thank you to my dear friend Elliot from Bakin' Whoopie in Maryland for sharing this fabulous picture (I am pretty sure she knows how to make cake flour;), and to her Photographer, Mary Gardella (www.marygardella.com), also in Maryland, for capturing this playful side of Elliot. Thank you ladies!