Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Cake Flour or Plain Flour, That is the Question?

I told my girls the other day that I was becoming a Food Snob. They laughed....go figure. I have been reading quite a few food blogs, and have spent so much time on tastespotting that it's riduculous. I've been making some of the recipes from there as well as other places.

Trouble is, I want to make almost everything I see on these various blogs, except maybe those with foods I can't pronounce and not sure where they come from. I'm not about tofu, or tripe, although I wouldn't mind cooking ramps and maybe some morel's, or meyers. But alas, those things aren't available to me. And what about the stuff called matcha powder. You get my drift anyway. So maybe I'm not becoming a Food Snob, just someone who likes to try different things.

I have a real delimma that I just can't ask any of the real 'Foodies', so I'm going to pose my question to those who understand and love me for who I really am--a confused old cook.

Could someone tell me the difference between cake flour and regular flour? And if a recipe calls for cake flour, can I substitute regular flour in it's place. I already have plain flour and self-rising flour. It's just me there most of the time, and I just can't seem to justify buying yet another kind of flour just to bake with.

I promise if you answer my question, I'll answer one for you sometime.

Have a tremendous Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

8 comments:

Mary Despain said...

In my opinion flour is flour unless you use flower. I was just reading yesterday's post and daughter #1 isn't into blogging. Daughter #2 is. I see Green Acres in your near future.

Vintage Chicken said...

LOL.... when you find out will you let me know?

I enjoy reading your daughters' posts almost as much as I enjoy reading your blog? Are you sure you're not my mother?

It's so funny and comforting to read the interaction between you and your daughters - it reminds me that my mom and I are 'normal'..... too...or maybe we're not? LOL

Lisa said...

I don't know the difference, I just don't cook much at all. But I do LOVE TO EAT. I am so happy you blog it has been such a pleasure getting to know you and your crazy family (girls) I love reading them in your comments!!! Makes my laugh.

Will said...

Cake flour has more starch and less gluten, it's the softest of the wheat flours. Cake flour is good for things you want to be extra light and airy, cakes and cookies especially.

I've always heard that for 1 cup of cake flour, substitute 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour. You also can try substituting 3/4 cup all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch for every 1 cup of cake flour called for in a recipe.

IzzyBeth said...

Beats me! I always use regular flour when it says "cake flour".

Anonymous said...

Great Mary. Now they're all laughing at us and calling us crazy. I know, though, in my heart of hearts that you're the crazy one. I could drive you there....to crazy I mean. It's a shrimp, shrimp, take.

Mom, you should post that story....it's funny and other people need to know it. You never know, your readers might start using that phrase ("Shrimp, Shrimp, Take") in their normal conversation.

Beth from the Funny Farm said...

If you are using it to bake a cake... it is cake flour... ;-)

Let me know when you find out the answer! lol

Lisa said...

Ok, that was CRAZY in a good way!!

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