If you’re an avid baker, you likely have a bag of cake flour in your pantry. If you’ve never used cake flour and are curious about it, let’s start with the best way to store it!
The best way to store cake flour is in a tightly sealed container in a cool, dark place. You can store it at room temperature or in the fridge or freezer for extended shelf life.
We’ll explain just how to store cake flour for the best results in this article, so let’s get started!
What is cake flour?
Cake flour is a finely milled flour made from soft wheat, a type of wheat that’s lower in protein and gluten compared to other types of flour like all-purpose flour and bread flour, which are higher in protein.
Why does the protein and gluten content of flour matter? It plays a huge role in the texture of what you’re cooking or baking!
Cake is a delicate baked good that you don’t usually want to be chewy (chewy is better for bread). What makes things chewy? Gluten!
High-protein/gluten flours are better for making pasta and bread, but you want to choose a lower-protein flour (like cake flour) to achieve a delicate crumb texture (low protein=low gluten).
Cake flour is not just for making cake, either. Cake flour can be used to make cookies, muffins, and other baked goods where you want to achieve a light and airy texture.
What is the best way to store cake flour?
Cake flour will last around 6-12 months in the pantry, both sealed and open. If you’re an infrequent baker and don’t plan to use cake flour often, you might consider popping it in the fridge to help it last longer (around a year).
Even better, toss the cake flour in the freezer to maximize its shelf life to around two years!
The best way to store cake flour (whether in the pantry or the fridge or freezer) is:
- In a tightly sealed container, such as a mason jar, airtight plastic containers, or in a vacuum-sealed bag. If you don’t have access to any of the former, using a ziplock bag with as much excess air squeezed out as possible is a great alternative, too.
- In a cool, dry place away from high humidity levels. Humidity can cause mold, especially if your flour isn’t stored in an airtight container.
- NOT in the original bag once it’s opened, since it’s difficult to seal it in a way that keeps oxygen and moisture out.
Factors that influence cake flour storage
Time
The biggest factor that impacts cake flour storage is the passing of time. If your cake flour has been sitting unused for years, it’s past its prime and likely time to toss it.
Even though using old flour isn’t likely to make you sick, it can become stale and negatively impact the flavor and texture of baked goods.
Container
Another factor that highly impacts cake flour storage is its container. If you store cake flour in its original bag with the top simply rolled down, it’s not as resistant to spoiling as if you put it in an airtight container like a glass jar with a sealing lid, an airtight plastic container, or a vacuum-sealed storage bag.
If the container isn’t sealed, air and moisture can enter and prematurely spoil your cake flour or reduce its freshness.
Temperature & humidity
If you’re not going to use cake flour often, the best place for it is in the freezer. Freezing flour helps preserve its freshness, and it also can prevent any pests from taking up residence, like flour beetles.
The freezer can also protect flour from high humidity, which can cause mold in poorly sealed containers of cake flour.
Signs that cake flour has spoiled
Be on the lookout for signs of spoiled cake flour such as:
- Having a bad smell. Cake flour should have a neutral odor, so if it smells “off” or unpleasant in any way, it’s a warning sign that it might have gone bad.
- If there are any signs of moisture including clumps or if the flour isn’t white anymore, then it’s not worth trying to use.
- If the flour is gritty and is no longer smooth and fluffy, then it could be getting stale.
FAQs:
Cake flour doesn’t need to be refrigerated after you open it. Instead, if you don’t plan to use cake flour very often, the best place for it is the freezer, which won’t impact its taste or texture.
Otherwise, cake flour will last 6-12 months at room temperature when stored properly (in an airtight container in a cool, dark place).
Ziplock bags work great for flour storage because you can remove excess air from them, unlike some other types of plastic or glass storage containers. Just make sure the seal is tightly closed and that there aren’t any holes in the bag before you transfer the flour.
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