I have a request for a birthday flavored wedding cake the only recipe that I can find that looks like it would be good, contains cake flour as one of the ingredients. The problem with that is the cake flour is not available in my town. Is there a substitute that I can use? What is the difference between cake flour and all-purpose? The Recipe calls for both. Could I use a box mix birthday flavor cake and Doctor it up with milk and butter? With it be as good?

Here is the ingredients:

What, pray tell, is "birthday flavor".  

Cake flour contains cornstarch and is a lighter mixture than all-purpose flour.  You can substitute 1 cup of cake flour with 1 cup of all-purpose flour, less two tablespoons and add two tablespoons of cornstarch:  1 cup all-purpose flour - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons corn starch

I have used this when I did not have cake flour and it works well, not quite as light and fluffy as cake flour, but very close.  Be sure and sift everything together well.

You can make delightful cakes using a mix as a base.  This recipe is fabulous for any flavor and is a tried and true staple of the baking profession and it was created by our own kakeladi!

https://www.cakecentral.com/recipe/7445/the-original-wasc-cake-recipe

Don't yu just love it whan people come up with these types of requests?? HAHA.....  b'day cake flavor?  Wedding cake flavor?  What in the world are they describing?  Good luck :)

Thanks to Sandra:)  Yes I'd suggest the WASC recipe.  Back in the 1950s or so most wedding cakes were white pound cake. The WASC recipe is based on a very well known decorator's recipe from back in the 1950s.   Most b'day cakes probably were white cake but not pound cake - I'm thinking of some old recipe that was something like 1, 2, 3.....1 cup or pound of this, 2 cups of that and 3 shakes of a salt shaker - well something like that - you get the picture....... so I'd suggest a Fr vanilla mix used in the WASC recipe.  

Cake flour isn't exactly just flour with cornstarch; that's the DIY version.  It has a slightly lower protein content (googled that bit) and is almost always bleached (knew that bit).  I think they also use a specific wheat.  If you DIY it, try to find bleached AP flour and sift the mixture a LOT.

Cake flour isn't exactly just flour with cornstarch; that's the DIY version.  It has a slightly lower protein content (googled that bit) and is almost always bleached (knew that bit).  I think they also use a specific wheat.  If you DIY it, try to find bleached AP flour and sift the mixture a LOT.

Yes, I knew cake flour wasn't just AP flour with the addition of corn starch.  That is why the homemade version works slightly less well.  It does add a little lightness to AP flour, though, in a pinch.