Why You May Want To Avoid Cake Flour When Making Chocolate Cake

Chocolate cake is a crowd-pleasing dessert that can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. But, while you're busy adding espresso powder or almond extract, don't forget that even basic ingredients need your attention. A standard chocolate cake recipe usually has fewer than 10 ingredients. These typically include flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, butter, and eggs. Some experienced bakers may already have cake flour in their arsenal and might think to use that. Yet, while cake flour often works as a substitute for all-purpose flour in many recipes, you may want to skip it the next time you're making a chocolate cake.

Why is cake flour so unsuited for making this kind of treat? That's because it has a lower protein content compared to other types of flour. When combined with cocoa powder, it can result in a cake that is too soft and lacks structure.

To understand why cake flour isn't best for chocolate cake, it's helpful to understand the difference between it and other types of flour. Cake flour is a finely milled, low-protein flour that is made from soft wheat and has about 9% protein, which is lower than all-purpose flour (9-11%). The low protein content is essential to create delicate crumbs and fluffy textures, which is why it is often used in other pastries.

In comparison, all-purpose flour is a blend of hard and soft wheat. True to its name, this flour is the one that most people have in their pantries because it can be used for many types of food, including pancakes, cakes, cookies, and bread. Bread flour, meanwhile, is especially well-suited to the pantries of bread aficionados, given that it boasts a high protein content (usually 11-13%) that helps to give bread its signature chewy texture.

Ideally, a chocolate cake should have a nice crumb on the outside to give the cake more structure. This is especially important in a chocolate cake because the use of cocoa powder or other chocolate elements can make the cake more dense. If you use molten fillings or gooey toppings, that's all the more reason for the cake to be sturdy. But cake flour will produce a light, crumbly cake in which those layers and textures can meld together.

Instead of cake flour, use a combination of all-purpose flour and cake flour. This mix will help you achieve a balanced chocolate cake that is delicate but can still hold up to different additions and toppings. Avoid using bread flour, however, as it will likely result in a stodgy cake. However, baking is part science and part art. So, if a chocolate cake-bread hybrid is what you're after, go ahead and experiment with the bread flour.