Are you a big fan of cakes? Then you’ve come to the right place – because I am a huge fan, too! I can’t get enough cakes! In this blog post, I’ll list down five of my best cake flour picks for baking. I’ll also talk about some tips when baking cakes, and other useful information about cakes in general!
Best Cake Flour Comparison on the 2023 Market
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Best Cake Flour on the 2023 Market
Homepride Self Raising Flour – Runner Up
The Homepride self-raising flour prides itself of premium quality baking goodness. All good recipes – including cakes – are only as good as their ingredients. You might be a Michelin star chef, but if you use low-quality ingredients, then your creations won’t be better than average.
This flour is unbleached and milled in the United Kingdom. The wheat is 100% British harvested and sieved finely. This means another chore less for you to do! Sieve it or not, you’ll definitely end up with fine and premium flour. This gives you more time and energy to focus on your baking.
This brand is a good one to go with, because it has become a reputable name in the UK. It has been serving out quality baking ingredients since 1964. Plus, the container it comes in is resealable, and convenient to use. Reduce the mess in your kitchen. Store it in the same container and you are good to go.
Pros
- Easy to store
- Resealable
- Pre-sieved premium flour.
Cons
- No distinguishable cons.
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour – Gluten-Free Option
If you are looking for a healthy and gluten-free option for making your cakes, then this is one great way to go. You can easily create yummy cakes with this flour blend without any fuss. Simply replace the flour from your recipes with this gluten-free flour mix, and you’re all set.
Enjoy smooth and rich textures without having to convert or change your original recipes. Make other baked goods with this same flour – cookies, biscuits, muffins, brownies, and more!
One thing that makes this flour stand out is the quality of its ingredients. It is made with premium brown rice flour, sweet rice flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, and tapioca flour. This wonderful mix works wonders. You can also replace recipes that ask for baking soda or baking powder with this mix!
Whether you are following a gluten-free diet because of health reasons, or simply to improve your overall fitness level, then this is a great staple to have in your pantry. It can be used for more than just making cakes. Don’t let gluten sensitivity or celiac disease stop you from enjoying a good loaf of bread, a plate of cookies, or a heartwarming slice of cake. You can also use it for creating your own pasta!
The possibilities are endless – just follow your imagination and creativity. You will not regret choosing Bob’s Red Mill for your cake flour needs, because their products are created and tested in a dedicated facility that’s 100% gluten-free.
Pros
- Ideal for gluten-free diets
- Can be used for baking cakes, cookies, bread, muffins, and more
- Can be used to make pasta from scratch.
Cons
- Some customers reported receiving bags that split open inside because of the packaging’s thin padding.
Ancient Grains Organic Einkorn All-Purpose Flour – Organic Choice
This all-purpose flour from Ancient Grains is milled from 100% organic wheat in its purest flour. The unhybridized Einkorn Flour is great for baking, and is good for your health.
You’ll get 2 bags of 5-lb wheat packages. The flour is unbleached and unbromated, so you know no additives are present – only organic goodness. You can definitely tell the difference by the flavor that your baked goods will have.
Ancient Grains is certified by the USDA as a producer of organic Einkorn Flour.
Pros
- 100% organic
- Unbromated and unbleached
- Can be used for baking cakes and other dishes.
Cons
- If you are unused to Einkorn flour, then it will take some time getting used to its flavor.
Francine Farine de Ble Tous Usages – French Option
This French all-purpose flour is one way to put life into your dreams of sitting down in cafes and eating pastries in France. It might not transport you to the country of fashion and romance, but it will definitely give you the feeling of being there – if only for a moment.
The French are known for their authenticity in their cooking and baking. Their pastries and cakes are one-of-a-kind, and many attempt to replicate them to no avail. But do you know what the secret is to this genuine French cooking? It’s simple: the secret lies in the ingredients.
French flour is different from what we’re used to in supermarkets (white, stale, tasteless, lacking natural enzymes, and mass-produced). French flour come in various types, depending on the recipe they are used for. They are numbered depending on their ash content in milligrams for every 10 grams of flour.
Type 55 is the standard flour for baking, and is made from hard wheat. Puff pastries use this type. Type 45 is for making pastries and is made with softer wheat. This is ideal for croissants. Types 65 and 80 – up to 110 – are particularly darker flours. Type 150 is an entirely wholemeal variety. Knowing the particular type that’s right for your baking needs is essential.
This particular French flour is Type 45, and can be used for general baking purposes, including making cakes.
Pros
- A good way to get a glimpse of French cuisine
- Very flavorful and rich
- Great for cakes and pastries.
Cons
- Some customers find it overpriced.
McDougalls Plain Flour – Editor’s Pick
For the last entry to my list, I present the McDougalls Plain Flour. It’s a great all-rounder for your baking and cooking needs. It’s ideal for cakes, pies, and biscuits.
It’s very finely ground, so you don’t have to sieve it before use. This saves up some time in the kitchen. I always stock up on this flour, and it has become a staple in my pantry, because I can never tell when inspiration for baking cakes will hit me.
The McDougalls name is quite well-known. You won’t regret going with this brand, as it is very popular in the US and many other Western countries. Although they do ship anywhere in the world!
Take note if you have wheat sensitivity, though. This contains wheat flour and is enriched with iron, calcium, thiamine, and niacin.
Pros
- A convenient all-purpose plain flour
- Pre-sieved for convenience
- Enriched with vitamins and minerals.
Cons
- Not suitable for those with wheat sensitivity.
Types of Flour You Can Use for Baking Cakes
Here are the different kinds of flour you can use when baking cakes.
Cake Flour
The most obvious choice is cake flour (it’s in the name itself!) – because of its fine and tender texture. You’ll appreciate this, especially if you are baking a pound cake, sponge cake, or devil’s food cake.
This type is made using soft wheat. It typically has 5% to 7% protein. Such low protein concentrations indicate a lower gluten content once you mix the flour into the batter. So if you are watching your gluten intake, this is a good choice for you.
Cake flour is a bleached variety. Bleaching assists in absorbing moisture, which helps give your cakes more structure. Cake flour’s fine texture, as mentioned, can clump and keep the integrity of the dish. As experienced bakers know, cakes tend to contain high ratios of sugar and butter to flour, causing a soft and mushy consistency. Using cake flour solves this problem.
Make sure to sift cake flour before mixing it with your other ingredients, though. If you cannot find cake flour, the closest substitute is pastry flour. It has the same protein content.
All-Purpose Flour
One of the more popular flour varieties, all-purpose flour does as its name implies. You can use it for more than just cakes: bread, cookies, pasta, and more.
It has a higher protein content: 7% to 12%, depending on which brand you pick. While this is perfectly fine for baking cakes, there is a difference in the tenderness and fineness of the cake’s texture when baked using cake flour versus all-purpose flour.
If you do prefer rustic and gooey textures, then this is perfect. It works incredibly great for dense chocolate cakes and upside-down cakes.
It comes in both bleached and unbleached kinds. The former has less protein, creates more tender cakes, and is ideal for pure white cakes.
Whole Wheat Flour
In terms of nutritional value, whole wheat flour is better than cake flour or all-purpose flour. It contains both the bran and germ, which also gives it a unique nutty richness. The texture of the cakes will be dense and robust.
This flour is great for baking fruit cakes, carrot cakes, applesauce cakes, and other dense baked goods. It might take some time to nail the ratio if you aren’t used to using whole wheat flour for baking.
More Tips for Baking Cakes
Follow these tips and trips for a seamless cake baking experience!
Keep Ingredients at Room Temperature
This means your butter, milk, eggs, and other ingredients. If you use room temperature butter, creaming it with sugar will create more aeration – creating an amazingly light texture. Avoid using cold eggs or milk, because they will solidify your butter.
Cream Thoroughly
Be thorough when creaming butter and sugar. Take your time until the texture is creamy and you get a lighter color.
Scrape Like a Pro
When mixing your batter, don’t hesitate to scrape the bowl. This is not for frugality. When mixing, flour and butter sticks to the sides and bottom of the bowl. If you are using a mixer, stop it every now and then to manually scrape with a silicone spatula.
Eggs are Best Separated When Cold
If you have plenty of time to prepare, separate your eggs (if the recipe calls for it) while they are cold. Bring them to room temperature after separating. Why? Just because this way is easier to do!
Flour, Grease, Line
Whatever you are baking – no matter what kind of pan you are using – never forget to line, flour, and grease your pans. You’ll thank me later.
Grease the pans first. Then, line them with parchment paper at the bottom. The parchment should be greased, too! Finally, toss flour into the pan. Shake and tap the pan until all sides and the entire base is covered. Remove excess flour by shaking it off.
Note: if you are making Bundt cakes, however, do NOT use parchment paper.
Accuracy Is Important
Unless you’re a super professional top chef, don’t ever “guess” or “estimate” your ingredients. The best practice is to use a kitchen scale for all your ingredient measurements – especially before making the batter.
The same is true for making sure all layers of your layer cake are equal in size and weight! You don’t want it to lean sideways or crumble down the middle. A lopsided cake may still taste delicious, but it won’t look as good!
Let Them Cool Down
Don’t be too excited. After taking the cake out of the oven, allow 5-10 minutes at least for it to cool down. Then invert it onto your wire rack and let it cool some more! Nothing’s worse than burned tongues and charred fingers! And speaking of ovens, don’t forget to take a look at my best electric oven for baking recommendations!
Need more help with baking? Make sure you’ve got the right tools for the job – check out the best silicone baking mats!
Conclusion
Obviously, cakes are awesome. My top pick for the best cake flour in this post is the McDougalls Plain Flour for practicality and credibility!
Hope you loved this article. Don’t forget to share it with your friends. Leave your thoughts below! Thanks for reading!
Jen Lin-Liu is the founder of Black Sesame Kitchen. A Chinese-American writer and a nationally certified Chinese chef in Beijing. Jen is the author of two memoirs, Serve the People: A Stir-Fried Journey Through China and On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome with Love and Pasta.
