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Cake flour is low-protein flour (about 8% vs all-purpose's 10 to 12%), which means less gluten and a finer, more tender crumb. You can approximate it by diluting all-purpose flour's protein with cornstarch · the classic trick that genuinely works.
Best for: Cakes, cupcakes, chiffon
Sift twice so the cornstarch fully disperses · unmixed pockets bake into pale streaks.
Best for: Anything · it sits between cake and AP flour
About 9% protein. Slightly sturdier crumb than true cake flour.
Best for: Gluten-free cakes
GF blends are naturally low-protein · often more tender than the wheat version.
Angel food and sponge cakes are the most demanding use · they want the full cornstarch trick plus triple sifting, because their structure is nothing but egg foam and delicate flour. And never substitute in the other direction with bread flour; the extra gluten turns cake rubbery.
Adapt a recipe free with RecipeFix → · Gluten-Free Recipe Converter
Less protein means less gluten develops when mixed, so the crumb stays fine and tender instead of chewy. It's also bleached, which helps it absorb more sugar and fat without collapsing · why high-ratio cakes call for it specifically.
Not for this substitute. Cornstarch clumps, and unsifted pockets show up as dense white streaks in the finished cake. Two passes through a fine sieve takes thirty seconds and fixes it.
All-purpose + cornstarch is the closest match, at 1 cup AP minus 2 tbsp, + 2 tbsp cornstarch. Cakes, cupcakes, chiffon. Sift twice so the cornstarch fully disperses · unmixed pockets bake into pale streaks.
All-purpose + cornstarch (1 cup AP minus 2 tbsp, + 2 tbsp cornstarch) if you want the closest result, or Pastry flour (1:1) for anything · it sits between cake and ap flour. Which one is right depends on what the cake flour was doing in the dish.
Related guides: Wheat Flour · Self-Rising Flour · Cornstarch · All guides