100 grams of cake flour is about 13.3 tablespoons. A tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, and a cup of cake flour is 120 g spooned and levelled, so the maths is 1600 ÷ 120 = 13.3 tbsp — or, the other way round, one tablespoon weighs 7.5 g. If you cook from recipes written in grams and spoons, this page is the bridge between the two, and the worked examples show the conversion inside real dishes rather than in isolation.

Cake flour is the flour for the most delicate baking: sponge cakes, chiffon and layer cakes with a fine, tender crumb. A hundred grams of cake flour is about 13.3 tablespoons, the same as all-purpose flour, because both weigh 120 g per cup — but the baking is entirely different. Cake flour is milled finer and has less protein, so it makes less gluten and gives a softer crumb. The practical point that matters most is the sifting note in the method section: cake flour is sometimes quoted at 100 g per cup when sifted, so how you measure it changes the number.

All figures on this page are approximate, and they come from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. When a recipe has to work the first time, verify with a kitchen scale.

Conversion table

One tablespoon is one sixteenth of a cup, so every tablespoon figure here is the gram amount divided by the weight of one tablespoon. All figures are approximate; verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.

Grams Tablespoons (approx.)
10 g 1.3 tbsp
20 g 2.7 tbsp
25 g 3.3 tbsp
30 g 4.0 tbsp
40 g 5.3 tbsp
50 g 6.7 tbsp
60 g 8.0 tbsp
75 g 10.0 tbsp
80 g 10.7 tbsp
100 g 13.3 tbsp
120 g 16.0 tbsp
125 g 16.7 tbsp
150 g 20.0 tbsp
200 g 26.7 tbsp
250 g 33.3 tbsp
300 g 40.0 tbsp
500 g 66.7 tbsp

The reverse table is just as useful: when a recipe gives tablespoons and you want to know the weight before you reach for the scale.

Tablespoons Grams (approx.)
1 tbsp 7.5 g
2 tbsp 15.0 g
3 tbsp 22.5 g
4 tbsp 30.0 g
5 tbsp 37.5 g
6 tbsp 45.0 g
7 tbsp 52.5 g
8 tbsp 60.0 g
9 tbsp 67.5 g
10 tbsp 75.0 g
11 tbsp 82.5 g
12 tbsp 90.0 g
13 tbsp 97.5 g
14 tbsp 105.0 g
15 tbsp 112.5 g
16 tbsp 120.0 g

One tablespoon of cake flour weighs 7.5 g, and one cup weighs 120 g. Those two figures are all you need to move between grams, tablespoons and cups for this ingredient.

Cups to grams for reference

When a recipe jumps from spoons to cups, use this table instead of counting out tablespoons. Every figure is the cup weight multiplied by the fraction, rounded to one decimal place, and all figures are approximate.

Cups Grams (approx.)
1/4 cup 30.0 g
1/3 cup 40.0 g
1/2 cup 60.0 g
2/3 cup 80.0 g
3/4 cup 90.0 g
1 cup 120.0 g

How the measurement works

The figure on this page comes from King Arthur Baking, measured spooned and levelled. Very finely milled, low-protein flour that gives cakes a tender, fine crumb. Sponge cakes, chiffon and delicate layer cakes.

A note on disputed figures. King Arthur lists 120 g per cup; finely milled cake flour is sometimes quoted at 100 g per cup when sifted, so spoon and level rather than scooping.

All results on this page are approximate. Ingredient weights vary with brand, humidity, temperature and how firmly you pack the spoon, so when a recipe has to work the first time, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale and use the numbers here as a guide. The method matters more than the number itself, because the same spoon of cake flour measured two different ways can give two different weights, and the King Arthur Baking value assumes the spooned and levelled method every time.

Worked examples

A single-layer sponge cake

A sponge cake for four calls for 100 g of cake flour, which is about 13.3 tablespoons spooned and levelled, and the flour has to be sifted with the baking powder before it meets the eggs. The amount matters because cake flour is what makes the crumb tender: too much and the cake is dense, too little and it collapses as it cools.

A spoonful to dust a cake tin

A greased cake tin needs about 2 tablespoons (15.0 g) of cake flour dusted over the surface so the cake releases cleanly, and cake flour is the right flour for the job because it is so fine it leaves almost no visible coating. Tap the tin upside down to remove the excess — too much leaves a pale dusting on the outside of the cake.

A chiffon cake test batch

A test chiffon for two takes 8 tablespoons (60.0 g) of cake flour, and the flour must be folded in gently after the egg whites are whipped, or the air escapes and the cake never rises. Fold with a large spoon in wide, slow strokes, and stop as soon as the flour disappears.

Practical guidance

Spoon cake flour lightly into the measure and level it, and never scoop: cake flour is milled so fine that it packs more readily than any other flour, and a scooped spoon can hold half as much again as a level one. Sift cake flour before measuring only if the recipe says sifted — sifted cake flour is sometimes quoted at 100 g per cup, against 120 g unsifted, so the two measures are not interchangeable. The figures on this page assume unsifted, spooned and levelled cake flour.

Do not substitute all-purpose flour for cake flour spoon for spoon and expect the same cake: the weights match, but the protein does not, and an all-purpose sponge is tougher and coarser than a cake-flour sponge. If you are swapping the other way — using cake flour where a recipe calls for all-purpose — use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour per cup of all-purpose flour, and weigh it, because the spoon table will not save a cake that is already out of balance.

Scaling with spoons is easy once you know the weight of one spoon. To measure 100 g of cake flour, count out about 13.3 tablespoons, and for 50 g, about 6.7 tablespoons. Halving a recipe that calls for 4 tablespoons means using 2 tablespoons, or 15.0 g, and doubling it means 8 tablespoons, or 60.0 g. The key is to scale every ingredient by the same factor, because changing one ingredient without changing the others throws the recipe out of balance. For large amounts, switch to a cup measure or a scale, since counting out tablespoons one by one is slow and error-prone, and a cup is faster and more accurate.

When should you weigh cake flour instead of measuring it? Whenever the recipe has to work the first time, and whenever the amount is large. A kitchen scale costs less than a single failed bake, and it removes the biggest source of variation in home cooking, which is the way ingredients pack into a cup or a spoon. Put the bowl on the scale, press tare, and add the cake flour until the display shows the number you need. There is nothing to wash afterwards except the bowl, and the result is the same every time. For small amounts, a level spoon is accurate enough, and for anything where precision matters, the scale is the tool to reach for.

Storage. Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 1 year.

  • Level every spoon with the back of a knife.
  • Use spoons for small amounts, and a scale for large ones.
  • Keep the same spoon for the whole recipe so errors stay consistent.

Frequently asked questions

How many tablespoons is 100 g of cake flour?

100 g of cake flour is about 13.3 tablespoons, measured spooned and levelled. Because a level tablespoon is not always exactly the same, treat that as an approximation and verify with a kitchen scale when the recipe has to work the first time.

How many grams is 1 tablespoon of cake flour?

One level tablespoon of cake flour weighs approximately 7.5 g. That figure comes from dividing the cup weight of 120 g by 16, and it assumes the ingredient is measured spooned and levelled. All figures on this page are approximate, so verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.

Why is cake flour sometimes quoted at 100 g per cup?

Because sifted cake flour is lighter than unsifted. King Arthur lists 120 g per cup for cake flour measured spooned and levelled, but finely milled cake flour is sometimes quoted at 100 g per cup when sifted, because sifting adds air. The figures on this page assume unsifted, spooned and levelled cake flour — spoon and level rather than scooping.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of cake flour?

You can, but the cake will be tougher. Both weigh 120 g per cup, so the tablespoon figures match, but cake flour has less protein and is milled finer, which is what makes the crumb tender. If you are swapping the other way — cake flour for all-purpose — use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of cake flour per cup of all-purpose flour.

What is cake flour best for?

Sponge cakes, chiffon, angel food cake and delicate layer cakes — anything where a fine, tender crumb matters. It is the wrong flour for bread or pizza, because its low protein cannot build the gluten those need.

How should I store cake flour?

Airtight container, cool and dry, up to 1 year. Keeping it stored properly also keeps its weight consistent, since an ingredient that has absorbed moisture or dried out will not weigh the same per spoon as a fresh one.

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