Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Did You Know...Cake Flour versus All-Purpose Flour

All of the recipes posted on my blog use all-purpose flour unless specified in the ingredient list. Baked goods, however, sometimes call for the use of cake flour.  I thought I would explain the difference between the two.


Cake flour is used in recipes where a fine, tender crumb is desired, such as in a layer cake.  For many cakes, where the batter is stirred, all-purpose flour is suitable.  These cakes won't be as fine textured, but they will still be tender and moist.


Made from soft wheat, cake flour contains about 8 to 10% protein.  All-purpose flour is made from hard wheat and contains about 10 to 12% protein.  Flour with a lower percentage of protein results in a cake that has a delicate tender crumb.


Cake flour is also more finely ground and has undergone a bleaching process so it will produce a cake with a finer crumb than all-purpose flour.


I have experimented with substituting one for the other in recipes and have found this to be completely true.  Typically, I will use cake flour for layer cakes such as devils food, yellow, or white.  Carrot, banana, and spice cakes do best with all-purpose flour.

2 comments:

  1. I remember Grandma always used Softasilk Cake Flour when she baked her cakes

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  2. Good information to know. I had wondered about this. Thanks Steve!

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