Vicky WasikRemember when you bought that bag of cake flour that one time, for that one recipe? And how it turned out great? But then you never found another use for that bag of cake flour again? Except for making the same recipe? Do you see where we're going here?
Cake flour has a lower protein content, which helps give baked goods a soft, fluffy texture, and can be used for a number of baking applications. To help you use up that lingering bag of specialized flour and diversify your arsenal of sweets, we've put together 10 recipes—from all kinds of cake to pancakes and alfajores—that lean on cake flour.
Effortless Angel Food CakePhotograph and video: Vicky WasikDelicate, uber-fluffy angel food cake is one of the easiest recipes you can bake. We also have variations that incorporate maple or toasted sugar.
Lofthouse-Style Frosted Sugar CookiesPhotograph: Vicky Wasik. Video: Serious Eats Video.These homemade Lofthouse-style cookies are thick and chubby and unrepentantly sweet.
White Cake With Brown Butter and Toasted SugarVicky WasikThis is not a traditional "white" cake by any stretch: Brown butter and toasted sugar cake boldly amplify its vanilla flavor.
Double-Strawberry CakeVicky WasikStrawberry in two forms infuses this layer cake with beautiful color and natural flavor.
Blackberry Cake With Cream Cheese FrostingThis simple cake's gorgeous color comes from fresh blackberry purée, which also tenderizes the cake and helps it rise.
Pistachio CakeVicky Wasik.Using good-quality pistachio oil in an olive oil cake recipe makes for a quick and easy dessert that's brimming with pistachio aroma and flavor.
Pumpkin CakeVicky WasikMade in the style of a yellow layer cake, this rich and moist pumpkin cake uses squash purée and autumnal spices to evoke the classic flavors of pumpkin pie.
Baileys Irish Cream PancakesYvonne RupertiThese fluffy, tender, and boozy pancakes give real meaning to "top o' the mornin to ya."
Alfajores de Chocolate (Argentine Chocolate-Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies)This sandwich cookie has a subtle chocolate flavor, an essence of citrus zest and almond, a cake-like texture, dulce de leche filling, and a chocolate coating.
Light and Tender Chinese Lotus Seed BunsShao Z.Fluffy and sweet, lotus seed buns are a popular treat at Chinese bakeries.