Convert Cake Flour from Cup (US) to Tablespoon

How many tablespoons is 1 US cup of cake flour?

1 US cup of cake flour (soft flour) is 16 tablespoons. 2 US cups of cake flour is 32 tablespoons. 1/2 US cup of cake flour is 8 tablespoons. 1/4 US cup (0.25 US cup) of cake flour is 4 tablespoons. Use the converter below for any amount.

  • These figures use the US cup (240 ml). A metric cup is slightly larger at 250 ml, so it holds a little more. Use the metric cup converter →
  • Cup sizes are not standard worldwide, so the same cup of an ingredient can weigh more or less depending on the country. What is a cup measurement →
  • A tablespoon here is the 15 ml metric standard, about 16.67 to a metric cup, the same size as a UK tablespoon. A US tablespoon is smaller at 14.79 ml, so US cooks measuring with US spoons need slightly more. An Australian tablespoon is larger at 20 ml, so it holds about a third more. When tablespoon size matters →
  • A little over or under won't ruin the bake, though it can nudge the final taste or colour.

Cake flour is finely milled soft wheat with a low protein content of around 7 to 9%, giving a tender, fine crumb in sponge cakes, chiffon cakes, and biscuits. One metric cup (250 ml) weighs around 120 grams or 4.23 ounces. When a recipe calls for cake flour in cups but you only have scales, converting by weight gives the lift and softness the recipe expects.

Cake flour is sold in 1 kg or 500 g bags, while recipes mix cups, grams, and tablespoons. Weighing in grams gives more consistent results than scooping the powder-fine flour into a cup.

Also known as

  • soft flour
  • low-protein flour
  • soft-wheat flour

Plain flour carries more protein than cake flour (around 10 to 12% vs 7 to 9%), giving a sturdier crumb. They are close in weight (125 g vs 120 g per cup); for a quick stand-in when out of cake flour, sift 1 cup of plain flour with 2 tablespoons removed and replaced with cornstarch. See our Plain Flour converter.

Bread flour sits at the high end of protein (around 12 to 14%) while cake flour sits at the low end (7 to 9%), so they produce opposite textures. They differ by cup (130 g vs 120 g); they are not a straight swap, but blending half cake and half bread flour gives roughly the protein of plain flour. See our Bread Flour converter.

Self-raising flour is plain flour pre-mixed with baking powder, so it has more protein than cake flour (around 10 to 12% vs 7 to 9%) and a slightly heavier cup (125 g vs 120 g). They are not a swap; cake flour gives a tender crumb, self-raising flour supplies its own lift. See our Self Raising Flour converter.

Out of cake flour? See cake flour substitutes →

No measuring cups? The tool below gets you close. For consistent results, grab a measuring cup set.

Cake Flour Measurement Converter

Enter a value and pick your units.

Result

0 Tablespoon

Common Cake Flour Conversions

Here are the most common cake flour conversions from cups (US) to tablespoons.

Cups (US)Tablespoons
0.25 cups (US)4 tbsp
0.5 cups (US)8 tbsp
0.75 cups (US)12 tbsp
1 cup (US)16 tbsp
1.25 cups (US)20 tbsp
1.5 cups (US)24 tbsp
2 cups (US)32 tbsp
2.5 cups (US)40 tbsp
3 cups (US)48 tbsp

Cake Flour Conversion Chart

The conversion chart below gives a quick reference for converting cake flour from Cup (US) to Tablespoon and other measurements.

cup(US)tbspcupgramsouncestsp
0.25 cup (US)4 tbsp0.24 cup28.8 g1.02 oz12 tsp
0.5 cup (US)8 tbsp0.48 cup57.6 g2.03 oz24 tsp
1 cup (US)16 tbsp0.96 cup115.2 g4.06 oz48 tsp
2 cup (US)32 tbsp1.92 cup230.4 g8.12 oz96 tsp

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tablespoons is 1 US cup of cake flour?
1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons. The ratio is fixed, so 2 US cups of cake flour is 32 tablespoons and 0.5 US cups is 8 tablespoons. Use the converter above for any quantity, or check the conversion chart on this page for the most common amounts at a glance. Open the cake flour converter
How many tablespoons is 1.5 US cups of cake flour?
1.5 US cups of cake flour is 24 tablespoons. The ratio is fixed, so 1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons and 2 US cups is 32 tablespoons. Type any other amount into the converter above for the exact figure, or use the chart below for the common ones.
How many tablespoons is 2 US cups of cake flour?
2 US cups of cake flour is 32 tablespoons. Conversions scale in a straight line, so halving or doubling a recipe keeps the same ratio. 1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons, and you can multiply or divide that figure to match whatever your recipe needs. Enter any amount in the converter above for an exact tablespoons reading.
How many US cups of cake flour is 16 tablespoons?
16 tablespoons of cake flour is 1 US cup. The conversion works the same in reverse, so you can switch between tablespoons and US cups without changing the result. This helps when a recipe lists US cups but you would rather weigh or measure in tablespoons. The converter above and the chart below cover both directions for any amount.
How many tablespoons is 1 US cup of soft flour?
Soft flour is another name for cake flour, so 1 US cup of soft flour is 16 tablespoons, exactly the same as cake flour. The figure does not change with the name: 2 US cups is 32 tablespoons and 0.5 US cups is 8 tablespoons. Use the converter above for any quantity, or read the conversion chart on this page for the most common amounts.
Are cake flour and soft flour the same thing?
Yes. Soft flour is another name for cake flour, so they are the same ingredient and convert identically. 1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons under either name, and 2 US cups is 32 tablespoons. Recipes use the two names interchangeably, so you can follow either one without changing quantities or weighing any differently.
How many tablespoons is 1/2 US cup of cake flour?
1/2 US cup of cake flour is 8 tablespoons. The ratio is fixed, so 1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons and 2 US cups is 32 tablespoons. Half measures come up often when scaling a recipe down, and the figure divides cleanly. Use the converter above for any other amount, or the chart below for the common ones.
How many tablespoons is 1/4 US cup of cake flour?
1/4 US cup (0.25 US cup) of cake flour is 4 tablespoons. The ratio is fixed, so 1 US cup of cake flour is 16 tablespoons and 2 US cups is 32 tablespoons. Quarter amounts often come up when scaling a recipe down step by step, and the figure divides cleanly. Use the converter above for any other quantity, or the chart below for the most common amounts.

Other Ingredients

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