Cake flour vs. all-purpose flour: what’s the difference, and does it actually matter when you’re making a cake?  The biggest difference between the two is the protein content. Cake flour has less protein than all-purpose flour, which means it develops less gluten and behaves a bit differently in your cake batter. Generally, cake flour will give you a finer, tighter crumb that’s softer and often more plush, while all-purpose flour has a higher protein content and develops more gluten, giving your cake a bit more structure. But! I don’t automatically reach for cake flour just because I’m making a cake, and I don’t think cake flour = a better cake. That extra structure from all-purpose flour can actually be a really good thing. Cakes have to support quite a bit of moisture, sugar, and fat, and sometimes I find that all-purpose flour gives me a better balance of softness and structure. It can give you a slightly more open crumb, and when the recipe is properly balanced, the cake can st...