🎂 Cake Flour to All Purpose Flour Calculator
Convert between cake flour and all-purpose flour with precise measurements in cups, tablespoons, and grams
| Cake Flour | AP Flour | Cornstarch | Grams (Cake) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ cup | 3½ tbsp | ½ tbsp | 29g |
| ⅓ cup | 4 tbsp + 2 tsp | 2 tsp | 38g |
| ½ cup | 7 tbsp | 1 tbsp | 57g |
| ¾ cup | 10½ tbsp | 1½ tbsp | 86g |
| 1 cup | ⅞ cup (14 tbsp) | 2 tbsp | 114g |
| 1½ cups | 1⅓ cups | 3 tbsp | 171g |
| 2 cups | 1¾ cups | ¼ cup | 228g |
| 2½ cups | 2⅙ cups | 5 tbsp | 285g |
| 3 cups | 2⅝ cups | 6 tbsp | 342g |
| 4 cups | 3½ cups | ½ cup | 456g |
| Flour Type | Grams/Cup | Oz/Cup | Protein % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cake Flour | 114g | 4.0 oz | 7–8% |
| All-Purpose Flour | 125g | 4.4 oz | 10–12% |
| Pastry Flour | 120g | 4.2 oz | 8–9% |
| Bread Flour | 127g | 4.5 oz | 12–14% |
| Self-Rising Flour | 125g | 4.4 oz | 8.5–10% |
| Whole Wheat Flour | 120g | 4.2 oz | 13–14% |
| Recipe | Cake Flour | AP Flour Sub | Cornstarch Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single Layer Cake | 1 cup (114g) | ⅞ cup (109g) | 2 tbsp (16g) |
| Two Layer Cake | 2 cups (228g) | 1¾ cups (219g) | ¼ cup (32g) |
| Sheet Cake | 3 cups (342g) | 2⅝ cups (328g) | 6 tbsp (48g) |
| Cupcakes (12) | 1½ cups (171g) | 1⅓ cups (164g) | 3 tbsp (24g) |
| Cupcakes (24) | 3 cups (342g) | 2⅝ cups (328g) | 6 tbsp (48g) |
| Tiered Wedding Cake | 8 cups (912g) | 7 cups (875g) | 1 cup (128g) |
| Pound Cake | 2 cups (228g) | 1¾ cups (219g) | ¼ cup (32g) |
| Angel Food Cake | 1 cup (114g) | ⅞ cup (109g) | 2 tbsp (16g) |
Cake flour runs about 7 to 8% protein while all-purpose sits closer to 10 or 12%, and that gap changes everything. For every cup of cake flour a recipe calls for, Ive found you need 7/8 cup of AP flour topped off with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to compensate. One cup of cake flour weighs roughly 114 grams compared to 125 grams for AP flour.
Everything you will read soon comes directly from all human home bakers, discussions in forums and cooking groups everywhere on the net. No use of machines for counting no tool for changing units. Simply real life and experiences.
Cake flour: why it is different and how to replace it
Here the secret of cake flour: it comes from wheat, that is ground to have only a little bit of protein. We talk about 7 to 9 percent, while whole wheat flour has between 10 and 12 percent. That difference matters more than one could believe, because the protein helps to form gluten.
If you lower the protein amount, fewer gluten appears. And less gluten means that your baked goods become more soft and light.
One makes cake flour from soft wheat, and it almost always goes through a bleaching process. That bleaching is not simply for beauty… It truly changes how the flour absorbs humidity and what happens inside the cake.
What comes out? Tender crumb, that stays soft and moist, like that in angel cake or great chocolate cake. Whole wheat flour follows other rules.
It combines hard and soft wheat, so it works in cakes, but the resulting density grows. On the other hand, crumbs from whole wheat flour well handle heavy loads, for example the butter richness in rich cakes.
There is also pastry flour, that sits right between cake flour and all-purpose. It has a bit more force than cake flour and works perfectly for pastry doughs, biscuits, muffins and some cookies. Good to know also: cake flour serves as a good thickener.
Truly, it ranks among the best for making roux or for thickening juice.
Cannot find cake flour? Do not panic, it is not hopeless. Take a cup of whole wheat flour, remove two spoons and replace them with two spoons of cornstarch.
Later mix everything by screening. Some do that many times (even up to five), so that it becomes truly light and fluffy. The main effect is to ensure that everything mingles well, so that the cornstarch spreads without forming clumps.
Changing the type of flour will change the texture of you’re cake. It still will bake, but you maybe will not get exactly what you planned. Because recipes are designed for a certain flour, stay faithful to the listed kind to give the best result.
Here something that commonly surprises: cake flour does not always give the best results. Some cakes from it have tender and soft interior, but they can taste a bit flat and end with a raised, spongy look. Cake flour forms strong, yet flexible structure.
Different flours simply create different cakes, and really, none is totally better than theanother.
One commonly finds Swans Down and King Arthur in the stores. Swans Down usually is the most available, that one meets everywhere, while King Arthur appears more on special websites for orders. Also about weights: a cup of whole wheat flour weighs around 120 grams, so take 4 and a quarter of ounces.
However the weight of cake flour ranges according to the brand.
