Cake Flour Substitutes

Out of cake flour? These are the swaps that actually work, with conversion ratios for any recipe size and notes on how each one changes the result.

Need to convert cake flour between cups, grams, or ounces first? Open the cake flour converter.

What to use instead of cake flour

  • Plain flour + cornflour

    DIY mix

    1 cup cake flour = 7/8 cup plain flour + 2 tbsp cornflour

    Standard DIY swap. Sift twice through a fine sieve so the cornflour disperses. Drops the protein closer to cake flour's 7 to 9% range, giving a tender crumb in sponges and chiffon cakes.

  • Plain Flour

    Ingredient swap

    1 cup cake flour = 1 cup plain flour minus 2 tbsp

    Last-resort straight swap when out of cornflour. Expect a sturdier crumb. Works in muffins and pound cakes, less so in delicate sponge.

    See plain flour substitutes →

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I substitute for cake flour?
There are 2 workable substitutes for cake flour, depending on what you have on hand and which property of cake flour matters most for your recipe. The closest swap is usually Plain flour + cornflour. Each option below lists the conversion ratio for any recipe size, plus notes on how the swap changes the texture, flavour, rise, or browning.
Will substituting cake flour change how my recipe turns out?
Yes, every swap trades one property for another: fat content, moisture, acidity, or protein. The notes on each substitute describe what changes in texture, flavour, rise, or browning, so you can choose the swap that matters least for your recipe. Open the cake flour converter
How do I measure cake flour accurately?
Weighing in grams is more reliable than scooping cups, especially when a substitute has a different density from what the recipe expects. The cake flour converter on this site converts between cups, grams, ounces, tablespoons, and teaspoons, so you can scale a recipe up or down without losing the ratio. Open the cake flour converter

Other ingredient and produce substitutes

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