Is it better to use cake flour for baking cookies or all purpose flour?

Answer 1

Yes, Cake flour can be used instead of all purpose flour but cake flour will make it more dense because it produced more gluten than all purpose flour.

Clarification:

If you use cake flour instead of all purpose flour, use 1 cup plus two tablespoons cake flour for every cup all purpose flour called for in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 2 cups all purpose flour, you would use 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons cake flour.

The results won't be exactly as if you used all purpose flour, but this is the standard substitution ratio.

Answer 2

Yes, you can use all purpose flour. There is a very slight difference, but to be honest I'm not sure what it is. I do know that I have many times used all-purpose flour in place of cake flour in a recipe, and I made great cakes that way. So, unless you are a perfectionist or baking for someone with a very sophisticated palate, you're fine with all-purpose.

Answer 3

All-purpose flour, bread flour, and cake flour are all great for baking. The choice really depends on what a person is baking at the time. All-purpose flour is the easiest choice because it is useful for many items.

Answer 4

The main difference between different types of flour is the protein (e.g. gluten) content:

• Bread Flour, 14 - 16% protein
• All-Purpose (AP) Flour, 10 - 12% protein
• Pastry Flour, 9% protein
• Cake Flour, 7-8% protein

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The Terms "Cake Flour" and "All Purpose Flour" are marketing terms and their use is country specific. The important thing about the flour you need to know is its GLUTEN content. Gluten is the protein that is found in flour and it is this that makes a dough stretchy and elastic. Different grains contain different amounts of gluten. You also need to know if a leavening agent has been added to the flour.

When making cakes and most pastry one NEEDS a flour with a low <9% gluten content as the cake texture needs to be light and crumbly. Presumably your "Cake flour" is a low gluten flour but it MAY also have an added chemical leavening agent (you need to check this).

When making bread you NEED a flour with a high 12.5-16% gluten content and you work (kneed) the dough to bring the gluten out. Such flours are usually called "Strong Flour" or "Bread Flour". When making bread the leavening agent is Yeast.

I believe that "All Purpose Flour" is marketed both for cakes and for bread and has an intermediate 10-12% gluten content and contains no leavening agent. (It will probably therefore not make the BEST cakes or the best bread!).

The Gluten content of the flour should be written on the packaging as should the use of leavening agent use this information as your guide.

Answer 5

Cake flour will provide a smother texture than all purpose flour because of its superior quality.

Answer 6

You can use all purpose flours in most cookie recipes. As the name suggests, this flour is suitable for almost all baking purposes.

Answer 7

Yep xx it won't do any harm xx