Gluten-Free Cake Flour Baking Guide

Our Gluten-Free Cake Flour blend can be used in almost any existing recipe for cake – including layer cakes, loaf cakes, pound cakes, cupcakes, quick breads, muffins, and more. Just substitute it 1:1 by weight or volume for the all-purpose or cake flour called for in the recipe (of course, double check that all other ingredients in the recipe are gluten-free).

Generally, it works best to use recipes that are designed for traditional cake or all-purpose wheat flour, as opposed to recipes designed for gluten-free flour. Most gluten-free recipes are based on blends containing rice flour, which absorb liquids differently than wheat-based flour. Our Cake Flour blend tends to perform most similarly to a traditional low-protein bleached cake flour.

Check out our Cake Flour Recipes to find reliable classic recipes that have been designed to work perfectly with this blend. You can also use these recipes as a base and swap the cake layers into any recipe calling for the same type.

Baking Tips

Measuring Ingredients

We highly recommend weighing your ingredients for the best results. For ingredients used in smaller quantities (less than 10g), an accurate set of measuring spoons is fine, unless you have a precision scale capable of measuring to 0.1g.

If using volume (cups) measurements, spoon the flour into the measuring cup then level the top with a knife, unless otherwise directed by your recipe. This flour blend weighs approximately 125g per cup when measured in this way. 

Baking Times

Baking times may differ slightly from those given by recipes designed for traditional flour, so make sure to keep an eye on your cake towards the end of baking - it may take a few minutes less or more than stated in the recipe. See below for tips on how to tell when your cake is done, so you don’t have to rely on baking times alone.

Hot/Boiling Liquids

Some recipes (like hot milk sponge and some chocolate cakes) call for adding hot or boiling liquid to the cake batter after the flour has already been incorporated. We don’t recommend this–the science behind it works differently with our flour compared to a traditional wheat flour, and it may not produce the desired result. Instead, just let the liquid cool until it is lukewarm or room temperature, then add it as directed by your recipe–the cake will still turn out perfectly.

Note - boiling or hot liquid is fine to add before the flour is incorporated, as in some recipes that bloom cocoa powder in boiling water in the first step.

Over-Mixing

While there is no concern of over-developing gluten when baking with a gluten-free flour, it is still possible to over-mix the cake batter, resulting in a firmer or tougher cake than desired. While the effect is much less dramatic than over-developed gluten, it is possible for the gums and binders found in gluten-free flours to become over-incorporated and too strong if mixed for too long or too forcefully.

However, some recipes rely on a longer mixing time to build structure, so just make sure to follow your recipe's instructions.

Building Structure

If your cake is lacking structure, or is coming out too moist and dense, try increasing the number of eggs in the recipe (for each egg you add, just subtract ¼ cup of the liquid ingredient–usually dairy or water).

Because our cake flour contains very little protein in the flour itself, it relies partially on other protein-rich ingredients like eggs to build enough structure to support the cake (there are other structure builders in the flour blend, but they work a bit differently than protein). Proteins also contribute a "dryness" to the texture and mouthfeel of a cake, as opposed to the moisture-contributing properties of fat and sugar. Increasing the amount of protein in the recipe by adding more eggs can help to balance this out if the cake is too moist.

How to Tell When Your Cake is Done

It can be tricky to tell exactly when to pull a cake out of the oven, but thankfully our gluten-free cake flour is more forgiving than traditional wheat flour when it comes to this, and it’s much less likely that the cake will become too dry if left in for a few extra minutes. Still, it’s best to use multiple indicators and clues to help you decide when your cake is ready to come out.

Internal Temperature

We love checking the internal temperature of cakes with an instant-read thermometer–it’s easy and less subjective than other tests (though for some nuanced reasons, it still shouldn’t be the only indicator you rely on). Check the temperature near the center of the cake, and be careful that the thermometer tip doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan. The ideal temperature will vary for different styles of cake, but it is usually somewhere between 200 - 208°. Anything over 190° is likely to be fully set, though most cakes’ texture will benefit from a little more time.

Color

Most cakes will be evenly golden brown all the way across the sides and top. If the center is still significantly paler than the outer edges, it might not be baked through yet. Of course, color is less helpful in dark colored cakes like chocolate cake.

Appearance & Feel

The top of the cake should look set and cooked (with no raw or shiny spots), and it should feel springy and set when gently touched. If the center of the cake wobbles or looks like it’s filled with liquid when you move the pan or pull out the oven rack, it’s not baked through yet.

Smell

Sometimes you’ll notice a dramatic increase of the aroma of the cake filling your kitchen as the volatile aromatic compounds in the cake start to escape as its temperature rises – this is a good early sign to start keeping a closer eye on your cake.

One note of caution - the toothpick test isn’t always the most accurate indicator. If the toothpick comes out coated in raw batter then the cake is not fully baked yet, but be aware that a toothpick may come out clean well before the cake is actually fully baked.