Recipes for moist, tender cakes often call for cake flour, which is a finely milled type of wheat flour. You have several options if you cannot use cake flour because you ran out or have allergies. Because cake flour has the lowest amount of protein of all of the wheat flours -- between 5 percent and 7 percent -- your substitute must also have a low amount of protein to attain a similar texture in the baked good. Ideally, your substitute must be a bleached flour like cake flour. Bleaching allows fats to bind to the starch in the flour and causes the starch to absorb more moisture than unbleached flours. Whatever flour substitute you choose, you must make other alterations to your recipe.
All-Purpose Flour
The best substitute for cake flour, according to the book "Rose's Heavenly Cakes," is all-purpose flour. This type of flour is bleached and contains a low amount of protein, between 7 percent and 12 percent. For each cup of cake flour called for in your recipe, substitute 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour plus 2 tbsp. of cornstarch.
Pastry Flour
Like cake flour, pastry flour contains a small amount of protein, between 7 percent and 9 percent. However, pastry flour is not bleached and therefore does not absorb liquid as readily as cake flour. If you substitute pastry flour for cake flour, you will need to reduce the amount of liquid in the recipe. Add the liquid ingredients slowly, stopping when the batter reaches the desired consistency.
Whole-Wheat Pastry Flour
If you are making a thicker cake, such as carrot, you can substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for the cake flour. This type of flour contains much more fiber, vitamins and minerals than heavily processed flours. As with regular pastry flour, you will need to reduce the liquid in your recipe. Because whole-wheat flour produces a denser, dryer cake, do not use this flour with any light, delicate cake recipes.
Gluten-Free Alternatives
Transforming traditional cake recipes into gluten-free recipes is possible, but you must alter other ingredients as well. When using a gluten-free flour in a traditional recipe, reduce the amount of flour by half, add an additional egg, 50 percent more leavener -- baking soda or baking powder, depending on the recipe -- and some kind of a binder. Either xanthan gum or gelatin will work.
References
- “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen”; Harold McGee; 2004
- “Rose’s Heavenly Cakes”; Rose Levy Beranbaum; 2009
- “The Art and Soul of Baking”; Sur La Table, et al.; 2008
- Joy of Baking; Baking Ingredient Substitution Table; Stephanie Jaworski
- “Healthful Quantity Baking”; Maureen Egan, et al.; 1991
- “The Best-Ever Wheat- and Gluten-Free Baking Book: Over 200 Recipes for Muffins, Cookies, Breads and More”; Mary Ann Wenniger, et al.; 2005
Member Comments