If a recipe calls for flour to be sifted can you simply substitute with cake flour?

I have a sifter but it is such a chore, mine isn't very good. It's one of those with the squeeze handle and only a teaspoon size amount comes out every time I squeeze! by the time i'm done my hand and wrist are on fire.If a recipe calls for flour to be sifted can you simply substitute with cake flour?
i see why notIf a recipe calls for flour to be sifted can you simply substitute with cake flour?
The purpose for sifting flour is to remove lumps that can sometimes become hard or crystallized and ruin your finished product (and possibly your teeth! ;-) If you don't mind lumps, then don't sift.





Cake flour is not a substitute for sifting. It is merely a FINER GRIND of flour to start with. But cake flour can have lumps in it as well.





Your solution would be to not use one of the ';squeeze-action'; type sifters and merely strain the flour by dumping it into a large fine mesh collander/sieve/strainer and tapping the side with your hand while holding it over a bowl. You don't need to press it through with a spoon. Just toss out whatever doesn't fall through the mesh. When you see the rock hard lumps left behind, you will know why sifting is important to good baking. ;-)
The sifting of the flour also aerates the flour making lighter and fluffier. You actually get a better measure of the flour this way.


Then again it depends on if you are sifting before you measure or after.


But to tackle your problem.


1.) Use a strainer rather than a sifter. You can shake the flour through much faster than you can by squeezing that handle. I hate those things!


2.) To answer the question if you can use cake flour. It depends on what you are making. Cake flour is finer than all purpose flour so if you are making something that needs structure and stability then you can not use cake flour. Cake flour is ok in cakes (duh!) and possibly in some cookies. I would not use it in biscuits, pie crust you need a sturdier flour for things like that.
If you have a colander with small holes you can sift flour with that as well. Either way, when you bake cakes from scratch you will get better results when you sift your flour first before measuring. If you get a chance and ever find a small roll of vinyl screen in the hardware section, you can cut out a piece to cover the top of a pitcher, just use enough to cover the top and slide down on the sides, use a small bungee cord to hold in place. it can be washed and reused. Then take your flour place it in the pitcher cover with screen and secure it. and you have a ready made sifter. If you get one with the lid that snaps on you can leave flour in it and use as needed.
Cake flour is ground from soft wheat (low gluten content). Use the flour your recipe calls for. It makes a difference in how your recipe turns out because there really is a difference in the flour. Bread flour is ground from hard wheat (high gluten content), all purpose flour is a blend of soft wheat and hard wheat, biscuit flour is ground from soft wheat.





I use a strainer to sift my flour. Haven't owned a sifter in years. Martha Stewart says you can use a whisk, and has done so on the show.
Good Sifter......the first thing on your Christmas/Birthday List.





As others have said...Cake Flour is a finer flour in grind.


White Flour can be fluffed, by using bare hands, just pick it up and let it fall between your fingers. Do it over and over and you can feel the difference. 1-2 minutes or less and it is done. Also can add the rest of the dried or powdered ingredients and sift it the same way.





A whisk works great as well to fluff the flour and whisk in the other dried ingredients into the flour.


Two forks would work too.





Sorry but, Cake Flour is best used for it's intended use. Baking Cakes. And I do agree, some muffins as well, possibly even shortcakes.
I used to use such a sifter - I quickly gave up on squeeze the handle and went to knocking it into my hand [the action is kind of like you are playing a tambourine] to get the sifting done quicker. Of course, fluffing with forks and whisking work, too, but sifting does get the lumps out.





And trying to substitute cake flour for all purpose flour with knowing how to fix the recipe is not wise.
I hate those sifters too! Do you have a sieve, not a tiny one, shake the flour through one of those. (There is a picture about half way down the page http://www.focusonfood.org/cookingtech.h鈥?/a> )





Or put the flour in a bowl, and whisk it, dry. You can also whisk in dry ingredients. The flour gets very smooth and it's done quickly.
the purpose of sifting flour is to allow flour to be aerate and sift away any dirt or something like that.





if you doesn't have a good sift, you can use a strainer (those with very tiny holes)...





hope it helps
Most recipes that call for flour to be sifted are older recipes. Today's All-Purpose flour does not need to be sifted.
yes.. whisking it will do... (and if you dont have a whisker,, just use a couple of forks, and ';fluff the flour with 2 forks';...
I never sieve the flour its not necessary.Just put it in as it is, it wont make much difference.
Just whisk it, or use a fine holed strainer.