Cake Flour Vs. All Purpose Flour: Everything You Need to Know

Written By Pamela

Learn the difference between all-purpose and cake flour, how they change your baking, and easy tips to choose the right one; you can even turn one into the other with a simple trick!

What’s the Difference Between All-Purpose Flour and Cake Flour?

Do you know why some cakes turn out light and fluffy while others are a bit denser? A lot of it comes down to the type of flour you use. Flour might seem like a small detail, but it can totally change your recipe. Two of the most common types you can find are all-purpose flour and cake flour, and they each bring something different to the table. Let’s break it down so you know exactly which one to grab for your next recipe.

The Key Differences Between All-Purpose Flour and Cake Flour

Flour is made from wheat, and wheat contains gluten, a protein that gives structure to your cakes or bread. The amount of gluten depends on the flour’s protein content, which is where these two types of flour really stand apart:

  • All-purpose flour has a medium protein content (around 10–12%). It’s versatile and works for almost everything, from cookies to bread to cakes. But because it creates more gluten, it can make cakes heavier or denser.

    Ok, you might wonder : ‘What does it mean the flour ‘creates’ more gluten?’

    Well, there are two proteins that are naturally found in flour: Glutenin and gliadin, but they don’t do much on their own when the flour is dry. When you add water, it hydrates these proteins and makes them active.

    Once hydrated, glutenin and gliadin start to stick to each other, forming bonds. These bonds create gluten, which is like a stretchy web in the dough. The more you mix or knead, the stronger and stretchier this web becomes.

    So, water is the key, it helps the proteins come to life and combine to form gluten, which gives dough its structure and elasticity.

  • Cake flour, on the other hand, has a lower protein content (about 6–8%) and is milled fine. Cake flour is often bleached, which makes it lighter in color and also changes how it works in baking. The bleaching process weakens the gluten, so cakes turn out softer and lighter. It also changes the starch, helping it absorb more liquid and hold onto it. That’s why cakes made with cake flour are usually moist and tender.

Is bleached flour safe?

Bleached flour is generally safe to eat and works great in baking. The process uses small amounts of chemicals, like benzoyl peroxide or chlorine gas, to make the flour whiter and improve how it performs in recipes. These chemicals evaporate during processing, so they don’t stay in the flour.

For most people, there’s no harm in using bleached flour, but some prefer unbleached because it’s less processed and might keep a bit more of the flour’s natural nutrients. It’s worth noting that in some countries, like those in the European Union, flour bleaching is banned (Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean bleached flour is unsafe.)

Flour Storage Tip

Cake flour’s fine texture makes it more likely to absorb moisture from the air, so it’s important to store it properly. Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry place to maintain its quality. Both cake flour and all-purpose flour will stay fresh for about 6-8 months when stored this way. This helps prevent clumping and keeps your flour ready for baking whenever you need it!

When to Use Each Type of Flour

My most famous recipe 👇🏼

Can You Replace Cake Flour with All-Purpose Flour?

You can! It’s an easy fix, and most of the time, you won’t even notice the difference. Here’s how to adjust all-purpose flour to act like cake flour:

  1. Measure out 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

  2. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour.

  3. Add 2 tablespoons of cornstarch to replace the flour you took out. Cornstarch helps lower the protein content and makes the flour softer.

  4. Sift the mixture a few times. This makes sure it’s evenly mixed and gives it a finer texture.

Please take into account:

• Liquid Adjustment: Since cake flour absorbs more liquid, you might want to slightly reduce the liquid in your recipe when using all-purpose flour as a substitute.

• Limitations:

While this substitution works for most recipes, very delicate cakes, like angel food cake, rely on cake flour’s specific properties for the best results. For those, it’s better to use the real thing.


This simple swap won’t match cake flour exactly, but it’s close enough for most recipes and gets the job done.

Is Flour That Contains Gluten Bad for Me?

Gluten gets a lot of attention these days, but for most people, it’s not bad at all. Gluten is just a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It’s what gives your cakes their stretchy, chewy texture. Unless you have a specific health condition, like celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it’s perfectly safe to eat.

For people with celiac disease, eating gluten can cause serious health problems because it triggers an immune response that damages the gut. Others might have a gluten sensitivity, which doesn’t cause the same damage but can lead to symptoms like bloating or stomach pain.

If you don’t have either of these issues, there’s no reason to avoid gluten. Whole grains that contain it, like wheat, can actually be really good for you: they’re full of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

But if gluten doesn’t work for you, there are lots of great gluten-free flours out there, like almond or rice flour, that you can use in most recipes.

Use all-purpose flour for things like cookies or muffins where extra structure is needed, and reach for cake flour when you’re going for a more airy texture. And if you’re out of cake flour, don’t worry! You can easily adjust all-purpose flour with some cornstarch.

That’s basically it.

Happy baking!

Pamela
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